Yesterday morning Patches ran away. 

I knew I should not have let him out in the front yard to take care of his business.  Patches stays in the back yard most of the time, except on really cold nights and then we bring in his carrior and let him sleep in the house.  It was so cold yesterday morning that I was sure when I opened the front door for him to go potty, he would take care of it quickly and run back inside where it was nice and warm and there might possibly be a doggie treat for him.  But no……

He sees this as his chance to go and investigate the neighborhood, aka, leave his mark everywhere!  He immediately scampers to the next door neighbor’s yard and I try to rebuke him harshly so that he will come back and not run off.  He was having none of that; he knew what he wanted to do.  I called to Ben, he can usually get him to come back whenever he esacpes out of the yard.  Like he did on Saturday when we had the yard sale.   It didn’t work this time. 

I was hoping that he would start getting a little cold and decide to turn around.  I went to the door several times and tried calling again.  Ben left for school and I told him I was sure Patches would come back.  You know how you say something, hoping it will be true. 

The girls were getting up and I kept listening for a scratch on the front door.  I breathed one of those on the run prayers….fixing breakfast (yes, it was so cold that I actually cooked eggs and grits), packing lunch and went to the door again just to see if I could spot him running down the street.  No sign of Patches.

I went back to the kitchen and the phone rang.  It was Ben.  He said he was in front of the house and if I would open the door, Patches could run in.  He was driving to school and saw him and picked him up and put him in the back of his truck!  Yeah!!  Patches was home!

I started thinking about that again this morning.  The thought occured to me…..that while I was in the kitchen praying, the answer to my prayer was being delivered to my door in the back of a truck.  It was already on the way and I didn’t even know it.

What about all those other prayers I am praying?  I believe that God is “working”, even though I don’t have any answers yet.  But I must admit that sometimes it is so very discouraging to keep praying and not see results.  Why can’t God move a little more quickly?  Why can’t he “roll back the curtain” once in a while and show us what He is up to?  I guess that would only require “seeing” and no “believing”.  And where would the faith be in that?  Faith seems like a pretty important issue to God.  Does that mean He wants me to lean on that faith in times of prayer?  Can I trust that answers are on the way today that I can’t yet see?

God…just give me strength today to wait on you…..and faith to keep looking for the truck!