Straight to Him.

I’ve been reading Elizabeth Prentiss’s biography recently, and the more I read, the more it confirms to me that her fictional account of a girl’s journey to godly womanhood, Stepping Heavenward, mirrored so much of her own life.

In Stepping Heavenward, Katy’s mother is a woman who deeply loves God and leans on His breast (so to speak) in every circumstance of life.  In Stepping Heavenward, Katy wonders “what Mother finds to say when she is shut up by the hour praying.”  And when her mother is grieving, Katy writes in her journal,

She has gone now, where she always goes when she feels sad, straight to God.  Of course she did not say so, but I know Mother.

Sharon James, the author of Elizabeth Prentiss’s biography, shared this about the influence Elizabeth’s praying mother had on her:

Most of all she relied on her God, with whom she communed often in prayer.  In the last Bible study Elizabeth gave just before her death, she looked back to these early years [of her life]: “Accustom yourself to turn all your wants, cares, and trials into prayer,” she said.  “If anything troubled or annoyed my mother she went straight to the ’spare room,’ no matter how cold the weather, and we children knew it was to pray.  I shall never forget its influence over me.”

It made me think about the pattern of my life, the pattern of where I flee to when my heart is heavy or troubled or chafed.  Is it straight to Him?  Straight to His tender counsel?  Straight to His arms?  Straight to His comfort?  Or do I wander, seeking out all other options before making my way towards Him?

Oh, to go straight to Him and to find — again and again and again — that He is enough.

More praying, less talking.

It’s harder to pray for people who are near me (physically). It’s the tendency to think, “Oh, they’re right here. Why pray so much? I can just talk to them & tell them.” (As if my words alone were persuasive or able to change hearts.)

But my words alone cannot effect change. My words alone cannot transform or make new a creation.  I cannot talk people out of apathy, deadness, dryness, or doubt.

I can talk my head off, but that won’t change hearts. That alone won’t draw loved ones nearer to the Savior.

Today, the reminder to pray for loved ones here weighs heavy on my heart. I cannot do God’s work apart from God’s power.

He is God. He is the Lord of the harvest.

Lost Pup.

One of our pups, Choco, ran off on Saturday evening when we weren’t home.

She was the mother of the 5 batches of puppies that were born while I was still in college. She’s a really playful dog, & she loves people. There was a function at the high school across the street from us on Saturday, so we’re guessing that she ran after some people & got lost.

She’s not a bright dog. Once lost, she probably couldn’t find her way back home. (Tip: If you ever get a dog, do get a smart one).

For the past few nights, hearing our other dog (the father of the batches of puppies) giving occasional, mournful howls has really been sad. Choco was also my dad & brother’s favorite dog.

It’s been sad, but I’ve been wondering about some things, too. I’ve spent over 7 hours in the past few days trying to find her – making phone calls, visiting local animal shelters, posting up fliers . . . All of this has made me wonder, “Is this too trivial?” I’ve prayed, too, but with much hesitation, wondering, “Is this too trivial?”

People are dying, & people are lost (physically & spiritually) . . . in light of these things, what is a lost pet? But what it really came down to was: is there anything too trivial for God?

He says that not even a sparrow will “fall to the ground apart from [Him]” (Matthew 10:29). He says that “even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). Aren’t these trivial? Who among us would keep track of sparrows falling or keep track of the numbers of hair on one another’s heads? But God does.

I still can’t fathom how this great, holy, majestic God would call me to continually bring all things to Him in prayer, even what I consider to be shamefully trivial. Really, I’m a little embarrassed – haha :]

He says we should be “casting all [our] anxieties on Him, because He cares for [us]” (I Peter 5:7). & I think, But I Peter was written to the persecuted church, suffering for Christ! I feel ashamed to even apply this to such a small matter – a matter that is almost laughable, because it’s just so silly. A pet?

” . . . The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:5-6). In everything, He says. Really, Lord? EVERYthing?

That’s what He says.
He doesn’t tell me to hush up when I tell Him what is troubling me because “someone else has it harder”. Have I suffered loss over something more than a pet? Of course. But . . . it still troubles me, even if it is a smaller trouble than others I’ve faced. This, too, He says to bring to Him in prayer. He cares.

He says to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17). If I only prayed about the things that didn’t seem trivial, I wouldn’t be praying about very many things. Isn’t the majority of life made up of “trivialities”? But they’re not trivial to Him. Would I ever call the president of the U.S. to report my lost pup? No way. Then how much less would I consider calling on the Creator of the Universe?? But He says to.

Unfathomable.

If a lost pup is as grieving to me as a lost soul or lost loved one, I may have priority issues; but if a lost pup is causing me sorrow in proper measure, then what? Pray. In this situation, as in all things, pray . . . because it’s not so much about the request as it is about remembering His nearness & being in His presence. The Lord is at hand.

Nothing is too great for Him. Nothing is too small for Him. His eye is on the sparrow; He takes note of its falls. How much more, then, on us?