Mae’s New Puppy – A Devotional on Prayer

About six weeks ago, our daughter Mae heard the words she never expected to hear. "We're getting a puppy!" I know this because after the shock and excitement wore off she said, "I didn't think this would ever happen." She was quite surprised.

You see, she'd lived with a dog her whole life—Joey (a dog Mike and I adopted after we got married.) But, Joey wasn't her dog and they never developed a storybook girl-and-her-dog relationship. As Mae's interest in animals grew, so did her longing for a snuggly pet to call her own. We got guinea pigs, but that didn't fill the void. Deep down, she wanted a puppy, and soon she began asking for one. But, we couldn't get one right away since our old dog didn't exactly welcome newcomers.

Shortly after we put Joey down this past July, both Mike and I knew it was time. We had a "we're getting a dog" discussion as a family and began researching options. But soon after the research began, Mike pulled me aside and said, "I want to get her what she really wants."

We both knew she wanted a dachshund. It didn't take Mike long to find one available. The smile on her face when we told her we were getting a miniature dachshund puppy was almost as wide as yesterday's smile when we brought it home.

Ask, Seek, Knock

This story of Chef, our new puppy, is a lot like the lesson Jesus taught about "asking, seeking and knocking" in Matthew 7. He said that if we, who are broken people, can give each other good gifts, just imagine the gifts our Heavenly Father has in store for us. He's waiting for us to ask.

If Mike's "daddy heart" is only a reflection of how God sees us when we ask for our heart's desire, we are about to be blown away. Just like Mae who frequently asked us for a puppy, God wants us to continually pray for what our hearts desire. No amount of asking is too much for Him. After all, he is our Dad. God wants us to be specific in our prayers. He wants us to keep asking even if the immediate answer is no. And He wants us to trust that He will answer according to the plan and His will.

Prayer: God, help me trust that you hear when I pray. Give me a childlike heart so that I ask, seek and knock when it comes to praying. Help me be open and honest about my heart's desires. In Jesus' name. Amen.

This devotional first appeared in the Monday Morning Survival Guide. Subscribe to get next Monday's devotional emailed to you.