06/07/2026
🐴 Stable Thoughts - My Weekly Devotional
The morning started out with a simple off-leash walk with my dog Bailey. And it ended up as an hour-long search... One minute she was beside me, with my other dog, Buddy; the next, I couldn't see her. Assuming she was just up ahead as usual, I wasn't too worried. But as I looked and called her name, it soon became startlingly obvious that my little beagle had wandered off. Deeply concerned, my Mom and sister joined me in combing the nearby fields, paths, and roads. With each passing minute, I feared that she was getting further and further away. We whistled and called her name until we were nearly hoarse. We asked neighbors if they'd seen her. But no Bailey. Though she'd survived being hit by a car before (not long before we first saw her), I was so worried that she might run into the road again.
"Lord, where is she? Please show us where she is!" I prayed over and over.
My sister and I drove several nearby roads before heading back home to regroup. As we pulled into the driveway, I saw Reina standing in the paddock. She very clearly looked toward me and then turned to stare out towards the woods beyond our pastures. She looked at me again as I got out of the van and nickered - staring back at the woods once more. It was then that my Mom came running over, telling us she'd just heard Bailey's howl back towards those woods. We dash down that way once more, calling her name. The barks and howls become closer, and in a few minutes, I see my little girl crawling out of a briar patch, panting and exhausted. I scoop her up into my arms and carry her home, as we all rejoice that she is safe! It was after Bailey was back inside, curled up beside me on a pillow, that I recognized that God had answered my prayer for Him to show me where my little dog had gone; and He had done it through Reina. Had God impressed upon her to show me earlier too, and I had missed it? Had I been so blinded by the panic of the problem that I had failed to see God's answer, given to me through my sweet, red mare? I stroked Bailey's fur as I began to ponder - how many times have I asked something of the Lord and then totally missed the answer He gave me? How many times have I failed to hear, to listen because I was looking at the struggle and not at the Savior Who loves me? The truth is God always answers - every prayer, every time. It may not come in the way we expect, it may not be the answer we want, it might not come at the time we wanted it, but He does not leave us in the agony of questions and doubts. He comes to us. He answers us in beautiful, new, and unexpected ways. I want to keep this at the forefront of my mind. I want this to be the context in which I pray: with confidence that He hears and answers; with eyes open to see the answer when it comes. A precious and well-needed lesson that I really needed right now, taught to me through a lost dog, a horse, and an answer.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:18
"And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us." 1 John 5:14
