"...at the proper time."

We have two dogs who have what is called, in canine terms, a "strong food drive." Strong. Food is IT to them. I can be taking the plastic off of a magazine that came in the mail, and they'll run into the room thinking I've got a snack. Even as I type this, Zacchaeus the weenie dog is barking at me because I've got an Oreo on the table next to me. (Well, now you know... I've got a "strong food drive" too. But this isn't about me.) Every evening after we have our evening meal, after the kitchen is cleaned up and we're all in the family room or elsewhere in the house doing our thing, it's FINALLY dinner time for the dogs. Every night, like clockwork, Luke gets the metal doggie bowls and goes into the garage. You can hear the now-familiar sound of dry dog food being poured into metal bowls, at which point Zac begins jumping at the back door and Haley begins running laps around the island in the kitchen. From the moment that Luke begins to walk toward the back door toward the garage at night, the dogs jump up and follow him. They know. They can't wait. "It's time! It's time!"

Those poor, starving dogs.

This morning Luke took the van to get the tires rotated. It was a lazy Saturday morning for the rest of us, dogs included. I was sitting on the couch reading and the dogs were both stretched out on the living room floor when Luke came in the back door from the garage. At that moment both dogs sprang up, realizing it was him and immediately switched into "it-must-be-food-time" mode. He put his keys down and a few moments later he walked toward the back door to go to the garage for, well, whatever guys go to the garage for on a Saturday. The dogs went NUTS. He commented, "I'm going to have to get these dogs a watch." They continued following him around. They watched him. They were so excited! They hopped and ran laps. They didn't take their eyes off of him. They dogged him. (Sorry, I just had to say that!) They continued looking at him so.... expectantly. And guess what he did? He fed them. (Did I mention it was morning?)

He fed them a bit of food because they asked. He'll feed them a little less this evening, of course, but they'll be satisfied just like they were this morning. They asked expectantly and believingly, and they received. A few times today they've run to the back door and they haven't gotten food. Nevertheless, they know that anytime he wants to he can go to through that door and emerge with food! (By the way, they never do this to me or the kids. Luke is The Food Provider.)

I remember learning in a Bible study a couple of years ago that believing God doesn't necessarily mean believing that He will, but absolutely believing that He CAN. We want His will for our lives because that is for our best. Just like I posted a few days ago, He sometimes refuses or delays our requests because they are from wrong motives, misplaced desires, or are the wrong timing. Sometimes things are not for our best now, but will be for our best another time. How I need to keep praying expectantly, though. Praying boldly. Trusting that God can do anything and will give me what I need at the proper time, and sometimes just because I was bold enough to ask. This was running through my mind today when I read this on JR's blog.

"The eyes of all look to You,

and You give them their food

at the proper time."

Psalm 145:15