Watching and Waiting

One never knows what will show up. Our house backs up to the woods, where any array of wildlife wanders into our yard with some frequency. Such wanderings create an animated response in our dog, Maggie. Her dancing and barking alerts us to the presence of whatever creature has caught her attention.

Because she frequently discovers animal presence in the yard, Maggie often stations herself by the bay window in our den that faces the woods. She watches attentively to see if anything might appear again. She often brings to our attention something we would otherwise miss, because she is the one who is watching.

Recently Maggie’s excitement drew me to the window. At first I didn’t see anything, but as I searched the outline of the woods I saw a doe standing perfectly still. She blended so well into her surroundings, she was barely visible. I caught a slight movement through the leaves and soon realized there were several deer with her. A casual glance would not have revealed any of them. In the summer, when the vegetation is much thicker, I probably wouldn’t see them at all.

The spiritual application seems obvious. God is active in our world, but His presence may be missed by those who are not looking for Him. If we were as diligent to look for Him as Maggie is about looking for activity at the edge of the woods, His work in our lives would be more apparent. God is working in every situation, but often what He does is attributed to “coincidence” or “fate.” We miss answers to prayer because we are not looking, or He answers differently than we expect.

The woods behind our house teems with wild creatures. I have never seen most of them, but the evidence affirms their presence. God has given us enough evidence to know He is there as well. We see His creative beauty all around us. He speaks life, guidance and hope through the Scriptures. He speaks to us through our circumstances.

Imagine if we watched for His activity in our lives in the same way Maggie watches for activity in the woods. God has promised to be with us always. He has promised that if we seek Him, we will find Him.

Watch for Him. You may be amazed by what you see.

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.—Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below.

Blessings,
Phyllis

Watching and Waiting first appeared on sandykirbyquandt.com

Copyright 2022 Phyllis L. Farringer