Eternal Hope

Scripture: "I wait for You, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God."

Over the Christmas and New Years holiday, I spent a lot of time at home, and a lot of time with my dog, Skittles, and my roommate's dog, Buttercup.

Every time the dogs hear the crinkle of a wrapper, the sounds of someone rummaging through the cupboards or I sit down to eat a meal, there they are, looking intently at me as I take every single bite of food. They sit very still, stare, and wait. They wait for a morsel, any morsel, that may or may not come. (And it doesn't usually come from me. Mean, huh?) 8-)

It occurred to me over the holidays that dogs are the symbol of eternal hope. Just picture this: Skittles and Buttercup at my feet, watching and waiting intently, whether I feed them or not. They watch. They wait. They are patient.

I couldn't help but wonder, isn't that what God wants from us? Not just waiting mindlessly for a crumb that may or may not come, but we serve a God that knows all our needs and desires. We serve a Lord that loves each one of us and out of devotion, we wait for Him. We wait for Him to respond to our prayers. We wait for His second coming. We wait for our time to see Him face to face.

Do I have the kind of eternal hope Skittles and Buttercup demonstrate, even with their simple minds?

With the New Year, I feel like I have a clean slate, a chance for a "do over", an opportunity to improve upon things I didn't do so well in 2008. One of those things I'd like to do better this year ... is to wait upon my Lord with the same kind of expectancy, diligence and intensity I see in Skittles & Buttercup.

Prayer: Lord, help me to tune my ears to Your voice so that I will know it instantaneously and take action, like a dog hearing a wrapper crinkle in the house. Help me to be that eager to be with You, as I wait for Your orders and Your guidance throughout the year.

Prayer request: Father, help us to draw closer to You this year in ways we never have been before!