Pray in Full Hope of the Answer
Whatsoever Series:
Philippians 4:8 “Whatsoever…if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things.” I need to tell you a story. It’s a story about hope, specifically the hope of a little girl and her wish to have a puppy. A dog story? Yep. Some of you may already be bracing yourself and reaching for the tissue box. You’d be right! It is that kind of story, so hold that tissue, open your heart, and keep reading!
When my now grown-up and married daughter was quite young she wanted a puppy. It was one of those kinds of requests that was first said in the midst of a day’s activities: coming and going from the grocery store or sorting laundry together or playing a game of freeze-tag outside. My reply was usually along the lines of “Ah, honey, Mommy doesn’t want a dog. I have so much to take care of right now. I don’t think we could add a dog.” She was four.
When she was six, she started asking me when I tucked her in bed at night. Right before we would say prayers, she would say, “Mommy, I really want a puppy. Can we have a puppy?” And I would say (yes, you guessed it), “Ah, honey, Mommy doesn’t want a dog. I have so much to take care of right now. I don’t think we could add a dog.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
We did this every three to four weeks for a few months. Her sweet, little voice always patiently asking, always with such big-eyed wonder at what might be my answer, and always accepting my reply of reluctance to add something more to my list of cares. She accepted bedtime prayers and getting tucked in, getting a kiss on the forehead and a hug with the same unconditional love. Then, one night, her request hit the next level.
“Mommy, I know I’ll never be happy again unless I have a puppy.” (My dear readers, you are laughing at me, aren’t you?)
There was still the same sweet, patient, big-eyed wonder waiting to hear my reply. But the transparency of her heart’s plea and the urgency of her request moved me.
That night, her request changed everything.
I remember looking at her for a moment considering my reply. I resigned. “I tell you what. I’ll make you a deal. You pray that God changes mommy’s heart about getting a dog and then we’ll see what happens.”
“Okay, Mommy,” was her reply. And I tucked her in, kissed her goodnight, and prayed for God’s keeping.
Within a week, I was searching and interviewing dog rescues, shelters, and humane societies within a hundred miles like my life absolutely depended on having a dog!
When I visited the animal shelter in Campbell County in December 2006, I had one of its rescued dogs in mind, but the poor little thing was so timid that I was concerned that even with our rather quiet house and regular routines, she wouldn’t manage the transition into our family. She wouldn’t pick up her head or lift her eyes to look at me. That broke my heart, but I knew that we weren’t the right fit for her. Her little four-legged neighbor though was different.
When I met “Cupcake” that day she wasn’t going to get any bigger (ha! believe that one and you’re in for a surprise). She also walked right to me as I knelt on the floor and she tucked her head against my neck to rest it on my shoulder. She snuggled right in – and found a way into my heart in an instant! She lived with us for the next 14 and a half years.
The evening that she died, all of us cried including me. That little dog in the Campbell County shelter so many years ago had found a way to bring happiness and joy to a momma’s heart that didn’t want to make space for her. I remember thanking my daughter that night. I thanked her for making certain that we had a dog. I was hurting, we all were, but we also had experienced tremendous love as a family with Cupcake in our lives.
When you and I pray, we need to be, to live, to ask in the same big-eyed wonder that my girl had. She was full of hope every time she asked. Every time. Again and again. Until one night, her plea reached my heart and moved me in such a way that I could no longer wait to give an answer. And that’s me in my human brokenness.
What about God? Does he answer prayers? I can most assuredly say, “Yes! He does!” Are His answers always at our timing? No. What do we have while we wait? We have hope, a kind hope for the future for the timing of things that we cannot see. We have our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has the Father’s ear. We have all the HOPE we could possibly have because we have Jesus.
As you pray and guide your students this semester, remind them to praise God through the trials and testing. Pray for their experience, for their endurance as it produces their character, for their character as it produces hope (Rom. 5:1-5).
We should never be too old or too big to pray with wonder filled, childlike hope awaiting God’s answer. Think on these things!
Meet the Author
Tamatha Anthony
Assistant Director
