“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37.4 (NIV).
I had been wanting a cat for years, but my husband and two sons absolutely did not want one. We already had a dachshund. “We are dog people, not cat people,” they would say. But I had grown up with cats. I received a cat when I was fifteen years old. She was my responsibility. I trained her. I fed her and cleaned her litter box. I paid for her shots and check-ups. And when I went off to college, I took her with me. She remained with me after I got married and gave birth to my three children. Sadly, she died when my daughter was a baby. One afternoon as I was doing the dishes, I bowed my head and said a simple prayer. I prayed, “Father, I really want a cat. If it is alright with You, have a friend send me a photo of her kittens. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.” A few months later, a friend sent me a photo of her nineteen kittens. I asked if she had a white female, and she had one. I took her home, painstakingly got rid of her fleas and presented her to my family. At first, my husband and sons were not happy. They decided to tolerate Shiro (a Japanese word for “white” named by my daughter), but after only a few days, they fell in love with her. Now, my husband and sons can’t get enough of her. They pet her, speak sweet things to her and say she’s the best cat in the world. Actually, she’s the “doggiest” cat I’ve ever known. She and our dachshund get along so well. She is a perfect fit for our family. I’m glad I gave my petition of prayer and left the matter in God’s hands. If I had forced the issue, I wouldn’t have gotten the perfect cat for our family. I would have claimed a cat that was not a gift from God. We must be patient with our prayers and trust God’s will, timing and way. Only then will we get His best— instead of our less-than-best substitutes.
Was there a time when you wanted something and prayed about it, leaving it in God’s hands? Or did you press the issue only to realize you didn’t get God’s best? How can trusting in God and resting in His will, timing and way add peace and joy to our lives?
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