About the most obedient creature I know would be a dog. This morning as I let my dog outside, she went to her yard to do her business. I looked down the road and there was a man coming up the road walking his dog. I called for Valley, she looked up and the saw the man and the dog and came running to me. She sat at my feet and as I stroked her back with one hand I held her collar with another. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she growled at the man and the dog. I continued to hold her and pet her as the man let his dog urinate in Valley's yard, I kept whispering to her, "Good girl", "It's okay". She continued to growl and sometimes her barker got the better of her and she would cry out. She kept looking back at me almost to ask permission to go chase that little dog out of her yard. I just was very firm with a "no", kept petting her and kept holding her collar. As the man and his dog walked away I saw her relax just a little bit. But then her tail started wagging and I knew that it was over. I could release her from my grip because now she wasn't in defender mode and she wasn't going to go chase this man down the road, me following in my robe.
I try to be very conscious of when I let her out. She doesn't leave our yard, but there are certain times a day when she can be more greatly tempted than others. I know I can't let her out between 7:10 and 7:30 because there is a bus stop that she can see from our yard. She wouldn't hurt any of them (unless she licked them to death) but I know that's its a strong desire within her to run and see them. So I keep her in the house during those times. The other thing that really gets her wound up is squirrels. They are her enemy, she zones in on them and then no amount of yelling I do, she can't help but to chase them out of her yard or up a tree.
I was sitting there thinking of how God does the same thing with us. How he times our days to let us out when he knows that we won't go outside of our boundaries chasing temptations. He keeps an eye on the road and sees what is coming our way while we are distracted with duty and the things that consume our attention. When trouble comes down the road he is good to get our attention, to call us back to Him as he gently holds us and comforts us. Oh Lord, how tempted we are to bark. How tempted we are to run. How many times we look back at You to ask permission to chase off, or battle the injustices. Yet you hold us tight and whisper in our ear encouraging words and words of comfort.
There are times when God will let us chase off rodents. He will sit and laugh as he watches us chase them. With all of our might, and all of our power. There are times that we will catch them and bring them to lay at his feet. There are times that all we can do is chase them, up a tree, out beyond our boundaries. God encourages us protect our borders and our boundaries. He created them, even the sea has to be obedient of this far and no farther.
Sometimes someone is going to come and urinate on our field. The are going to offend us and anger us. But what have they takes from us? Does our field still remain? Do we still have our blessing? Do we still have a place to put our shoulder to the plow? The rodents have come to steal from us. They have to be chased off. They can't be left to get into our storehouse, or our homes or they would wreak havoc.
"to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor. "~Isaiah 61:2-3
Lord, I thank you for your protection, I thank you that you are my defender, my redeemer and my savior. Lord I thank you for your mercy, your grace, your comfort. I thank you that all I have to do in times of trouble is to call upon the name of Jesus and he comes to me a very present help in time of need. Lord, how you gave us such a gift, a gift of salvation, a gift of immeasurable blessings. The discipline, the guidance and the love that you show us. Lord, I thank you from the bottom of my soul for your sacrifice of love for me. Even if there was no one else here Lord, you did it before the foundation of the earth so that I would have a way to get back to you, to your arms. Lord for that I am humbled and I sit in awe of you this morning. All glory and honor and praise to you Father God, in the mighty name of your Son, Christ Jesus. Amen.
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