“Mommy, I
wanna puppy!” she says as she looks at me with those hard to resist ‘puppy dog
eyes.’ “No.” I reply instinctively without
hesitation. Though my daughter is 18 now
and has a full time job, she is still being told no. When she was younger the excuse was her
age. As a teen it was lack of time and
no consistent responsibility. Now it is
lack of money, time, effort, and inability to find a home for the animal if we
go away. “My friend will take it.” I’m thinking maybe friend’s Mom wouldn’t
agree.
Amy’s upped
her frequency in asking to every time she sees a puppy, and to explain, every
dog, no matter size or age, is a puppy.
Even tv dogs count. “No. No.
No.” How could I say yes when she
has no money to take care of it and isn’t home twelve or more hours a day four
days a week, works five and goes out on the weekends? She thinks she can handle it all, but I know
better due to experience. I’ve seen a
lot in wait, uh, figuring, 47 years. Someday
when she’s on her own, she’ll get one and will see for herself, or she’ll have
a different schedule by then. Who knows?
As a parent we see things from a broader
perspective- more fully than our children who have less experience. Now imagine our Father God: He who makes no
mistakes, has been forever and knows the future of all eternity (Is.
46:10). He fully knows the past and the
future of everyone, and everything in every place (Ac. 15:18 ; Ps. 33:13; 147:5).
This means He knows better than us.
How does this play into our lives?
Well, when we try to use ‘puppy dog eyes’ or begging on the Lord, giving
Him all the valid reasons why we need or want something to happen, to have, to
do or see, He sometimes says “Wait” or “No.”
It’s not to be mean, cold hearted, unconcerned about our desires, but He
knows all and knows what is best for us and everyone else.
Probably the
most difficult time in trusting this is when a loved one is very sick and
dying, and the Lord chooses not to heal (especially a child). “Why?
Why Lord? What is the purpose in
his/ her death? What did I do wrong?” Death is a part of life and we all do wrong
things so that last part is not at issue.
Sometimes God tells us the purpose behind things He allows, but I find most
of the time He doesn’t. Do we trust Him
enough that at those times we believe He is out for our good and the good of
our loved ones? That’s tough!
Thou art good,
and doest good; teach me thy statutes. Ps. 119:68 (all KJV)
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good Ps. 136:1
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth me, that I am
the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the
earth: for in these things I delight,
saith the LORD. Jr. 9:24
Looking back
I can see many good things that happened because of the trials I had to go
through, and so I am grateful for each and every one that brought me to this
place of trust in the Lord. So when I
cried out to Him for release and He didn’t fix it, He was good and doing good
because it changed me for the better.
Who knows what good it did in other’s lives? Often we have to wait for things but we want
them NOW! God, who knows all, knows when
and if we should have those things and asks us to wait on Him.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Ps. 27:14
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. Ps. 62:5
I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will
praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it:
and I will wait on thy name; for it is
good before thy saints. Ps. 52:8,9
And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be
gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy
upon you: for the LORD is a God of
judgment: blessed are all they that wait
for him. Is. 30:18
Wait? I don’t want to wait. Maybe better ‘puppy dog eyes’, better
arguments, or promises or bribes will work.
“If all that fails, if God does not give in to my desires right now,
then I will have to take matters into my own hands.” We surely are a society of immediate
gratification! “Now, I want it now.” But God says “Wait” or worse yet, “No.” "He must hate me, He must not care, He’s left
me…" Thoughts pound through our head when
life doesn’t go as planned or as wanted.
But what it all comes down to is, do we trust God to be good and do good
in our lives? Can we surrender and trust
He is wise and knows best… and rest in that? He is our peace (Ep. 2:14).
Remember, God is our Father and His love for us is immeasurable.
Behold what manner of
love the Father has given us,
that we should be
called children of God.
1Jh. 3:1