WEEK 3, DAY 15: DEPENDENCY
Scripture Reference: Mark 15:33-42
“God said my cat would come home” are the words my daughter told me as I tried to prepare her for the reality that her fluffy, black cat might not return. My daughter is now 20-years-old and is a young woman of deep faith and dependency on God. God used a cat named Angel to help my daughter have this dependency on Him.
DEPENDENCY & TRUST
You see, my daughter has Autism. When she was diagnosed with Autism at age five, I thought my world had been flipped upside down. At the same time, relief. Relief because I was able to adjust my life and the world that surrounded my daughter in a way to help her be able to thrive. I prayed each night that God would unlock His mystery to her. How could I teach my daughter who was (and is) a visual learner about the Invisible God? I depended on God to do what I could not. I trusted God to do what I knew I cannot do.
When my daughter was about 11-years-old, her kitty, who had just had kittens, disappeared. My daughter was persistent that God had told her that her kitty would come home. This went on for two or three days. Each time I attempted to explain to her that her kitty might not come home, she would tell me the same thing, “God said my cat would come home”.
PRAY BOLD
About the same time of Angel’s disappearance, we were reading Mark Batterson’s Draw the Circle 40-Day Devotional as a church. The topic was on God honoring bold prayers. The basis of that writing was God honors bold prayers when His reputation is on the line and does things for us we cannot do for ourselves. I prayed one of the boldest, most daring prayers I have ever prayed to God. While at was at work, I remember walking out of a room and saying “Lord, we have a problem. Me and You have a major problem. She believes You have said her cat is coming home. If this is the case and that cat does not come home, she’ll never believe anything else I say about You. I will still believe in You but we’ll lose her … Oh, In Jesus Name, Amen.” That cat came home that night! I was outback the house. It was almost dark. I looked and I saw this black streak coming across the back yard.
DEPENDENCY ON GOD
There are many things about God I do not know nor understand. This I know, God uses the things in our lives for His glory and our benefit. At that moment in my daughter’s young life, God used a cat to help her believe in an Invisible God. Today, she has a deep dependency on God. She has a faith that carries her through struggles. The next time my daughter’s kitty disappeared my daughter had a peace about her and an acceptance of the situation. When anything is wrong, she pulls out her “Dear God” journal and writes her heart out to God. She draws Him rainbows and flowers too. For her, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for [and] the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
— Pastor Vivian Horton, BGFirst Church of the Nazarene
TIME TO CONTEMPLATE:
- Take about 30 minutes to an hour of silence (or with soothing music) and examine the times of your life that were troubled or filled with joy. How was God working to your benefit and His glory?
- How has each of these times in your life built, affirmed, and assured your faith in God?
Pray:
O, Lord, Your Spirit testifies to my spirit of Who You Are! Remind me of each time You have been with me working for my good and for Your glory. When life throws chaos at me, may my mind recall all the times You have been my Anchor, my Provision, my Shepherd, and my Ever Present Help. And may my heart not be troubled as I turn my thoughts to You! Encourage and strengthen my faith and dependency in You! In Jesus Name, Amen.
