Every drop of rain hits its appointed target – John Newton
A little over two years ago, my wife Catherine and I bought a house. Our dog Sally was already sixteen years old, and it was clear she wasn’t going to be with us for much longer. We took her with us every time we went to work on the new house, so she would get used to being there, and I started praying for her. I prayed every day that Sally would live long enough to be happy in our new home.
After several months of work, we moved in on a Friday. The following Saturday, eight days later, we had some dear friends over for dinner, one of whom was a delightful six year old girl named Avery. Sally, despite her age and arthritis, had a wonderful time playing with Avery. After our guests left that evening, I felt a peace in my spirit, and I got the clear sense that my prayer had been answered.
The next morning Sally started having seizures. We took her to the animal emergency hospital, where they discovered that she had a brain tumor. At her age, there was nothing they could do. The following day, a Monday, we had an at-home euthanasia. Sally died in front of the big, floor length window (originally a sliding glass door) that had become her favorite place in our new house.
I’ve told this story to quite a few friends. In fact I consider it part of my testimony now. I am a witness not only to God’s grace in saving me back in 1983, but to his continual goodness as I’ve experienced it in my life. And if this particular piece of my story doesn’t tell someone how to become a child of God, it does give them a reason why they should do it. The God I follow, and whom I call my Father, loves me enough, in the middle of running the entire universe, to answer a prayer for a elderly dog to be happy before she died.
This little incident also provides a partial answer to those who wonder why we should bother to pray. Since it apparently was, after all, God’s will to give our dog that last bit of happiness, what did my prayer add? Well, if I hadn’t prayed, Sally might still have received that blessing, but I most likely would not have recognized God’s hand in it. Even an omnipotent God can’t answer my prayers if I don’t pray them (James 4:2). I would not have seen, in what happened, evidence of his love for me, and I would not have had this story to tell others about his kindness. Prayer took something good that God did for a dog, and turned it into a testimony of his love and goodness toward me.
Divine Providence
Jesus said to his disciples, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” (Matthew 10:29) Divine providence is the theological term that refers to God’s moment-by-moment care for his creation as he guides it toward the fulfillment of his purposes1. And something I’ve been learning in the past few years is that, while God may be concerned with running the entire universe, his care for it, and for me, is very personal. He is not an absent Father, or a distracted one.
The Scriptures record many impressive miracles, and I’ve seen miracles happen in my life. But the God who aims the raindrops isn’t limited to just using miracles. Far more often, in fact, he uses ordinary, “natural” events to bring about what he intends to do, just as he did with Sally. It’s easy to overlook if I’m not paying attention, but the fact of the matter is that God actually likes using his creation to fulfill his purposes for creation. The processes we call “natural laws” do not exist separately from God, but are simply the everyday activity of the one who, according to his own word is, “not a God of disorder.” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Entering Into God’s Providence
If divine providence is God’s care for and guiding of his creation then we, God’s sons and daughters, are called to take an active role in that care. In prayer we enter into God’s divine providence, cooperating with him in bringing all of creation together under the rule of Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10). More than that, our prayers, and their answers, help to demonstrate to the world that our Father is real, and so is his love.
Now, it should be common sense that the more I pray, the more answers to prayer I’ll see. And yet, I find that if I’m not paying attention, I often won’t take the time to pray. Here’s where practicing the presence of God, that is, striving to maintain an ongoing conversation with God throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:17), really shines. When I’m actively trying to remain aware of God’s presence with me, the things I think about just naturally seem to become the subjects of prayer. And then they become the subjects of thanksgiving when I see the very thing I prayed for actually happen. I’m just a novice at this, and yet I see my small prayers answered half a dozen times every day. And I have no doubt at all that number will increase as I continue to grow closer to Jesus, and my desires become more like his.
When you love someone you want them to know it. Guess what? That’s true of God too. God’s love is proclaimed over and over again in the Scriptures, but he also says it daily to me. And, like all good lovers, God’s actions speak louder than his words. Every time he gives me what I ask for he’s saying, “I love you son.” (And if I knew everything that he knows, I’m pretty sure I’d see that every time he doesn’t give me what I ask for he’s saying that too.) That’s why he didn’t only answer my prayer for Sally, he made sure that I knew he had answered it.
Coincidence?
When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don’t they don’t – William Temple
Last year, Catherine lost her wedding ring. Since she has limited vision, the minute she noticed it was gone, she immediately called me to come search for it, but I had no success, even though I was praying while I looked.
A day or so later, I felt a strong burden, coming apparently out of nowhere, to pray that the church all over the world would come back together again into one body. This was Jesus’ prayer too (John 17:20-21), and probably the prayer of millions of other Christians, but as I considered the state of the church today, my thought was that if this actually happens, it’ll be the biggest miracle since the resurrection. Nevertheless, I began including this request on my daily prayer walk. I shared this burden with Catherine, and she promised to pray for it too. Then, just minutes after that conversation, I happened to glance down at the floor, and immediately saw her lost wedding ring.
So what’s the connection? Just this: God has the power to reunify the church in an instant, but that is not how he typically works. To change that many hearts, and put to rest all the past grievances that have kept his children separate from one another will almost certainly require years of prayer before there’s any sign that God is at work. I can’t prove that finding Catherine’s wedding ring just at the moment I did was a sign that God will answer my prayer and reunite his children in my lifetime, but I think I can reasonably take it as a sign that I am doing right to pray for unity, and that I should persevere.
When I pray, then, I am learning how to enter into God’s governance of the universe. But at the same time, when I pray, I am also opening my eyes to see all the ways he wants to show me how much he loves me. Miracles are awesome, but it’s in his everyday providence that I truly see who my Father is; the god who causes every drop of rain to hit its appointed target.
1. Erickson, Millard J.
2001 The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology. Crossway Books, Wheaton.