A Shih Tzu, a Prayer, and God’s Mercy

A woman, a dear friend of mine, had longed for a new little Shih Tsu.  A breeder she’d worked with before had just the one she wanted.  Her husband had some reservations: if you have a dog you always have to make plans when you want to travel.   But on her birthday last week, her husband surprised her with a dear little five-pound puppy.  They were both so pleased as they drove home from the breeder’s kennel.  They felt  immediately a deep bonding with the dog.      But the dog evidently was frightened by his new surroundings.  When she took the dog for a walk, the puppy slipped out of his collar.  It streaked out across the yard into the woods so quickly they couldn’t catch him.  They searched for him far into the night.  A neighbor who manages a facebook page for their community immediately posted a picture of the dog to alert their neighbors.
The husband and wife slept fitfully, and renewed the search early in the morning.  That evening my friend called me and tearfully asked me to pray with her—and I did, earnestly.  The situation was urgent.  The puppy was only a few weeks old.  Behind their home the woods are full of snakes.  Next to their home is a busy, five-lane highway.  The dog would have no skills in finding food.  They feared it wouldn’t survive the night.  They went to bed grieving.
When I am faced with such a poignant trial, I am tempted to ask, “Lord, is this punishment?  Are you angry with me about something?  Have I done wrong and not been aware of it?”  Of course I’ve sinned.  I don’t deserve God’s mercy.  I am often selfish, self-centered, intent on getting my own way.  Why do I think I have a right to ask for His mercy?
But as I prayed for that family that night, I remembered what the Scriptures affirm so adamantly:
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry
And filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For His unfailing love toward those that fear Him
Is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
                                                   Psalm 103:8-12 (nlt)

As I prayed for my friends, I asked God to reveal His extraordinary mercy to them.  And He did. The husband got up early the next morning. Immediately he saw their little Shih Tsu on their screened-in porch.  The screen was cut where the dog had been thrust through it.    How had it gotten there?  Had their breeder replaced their lost dog with its brother?  No, she assured them, that puppy was still in its kennel.  Had someone found the dog but not been able to reach them?  They may never find out.
But what they have found is the exceeding, loving mercy of the Lord their God.   They’ll never forget His unending grace and mercy in that time of deep need.
They considered naming their new puppy “Miracle,” but that seems to be too big a thought for such a small puppy.  So his name is Buddy.  Welcome home, Buddy!