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Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. I'm so convinced that God really wants us to live as close to nature as possible. There are so many illustrations of spiritual truth that come from observing nature!..... This verse was so vividly illustrated before my eyes as I took my "prayer walk" yesterday. Sparkie, our new little bloodhound was with me, and all of a sudden he caught a "scent" and started going "crazy"! The two other dogs took up the chase as well. Little Sparkie's nose led him here and there, here and there throughout one corner of the field. He stopped and frantically barked at the trees, and then he was "on the chase" again. The other two dogs followed, too. On and on they went, here and there, almost around in circles, stopping especially to bark at the trees and fence posts. They BELIEVED, even though they couldn't see, that there was an animal somewhere ...just as we believe God is real although we can't see Him. These dogs were DILIGENTLY SEEKING like the verse says. All this was going on while I was praying for someone I love and their need for salvation. This person had told me that they had prayed but didn't seem to be getting through to God and they were told that two hours worth of prayer was not enough and that "giving up" was not what the importunate widow of Lk. 18 did. She "kept on" until she got what she wanted! Well, these dogs were definitely IMPORTUNATE. They did NOT give up! So as I was thinking and praying about these things, I basically prayed ,"LORD, let these dogs find what they are looking for, and let this one I love find YOU!" Before long they all stopped at one fence post and just went WILD! They barked and barked and jumped up as high and starting biting the fence post and digging the ground all around it. They were even willing to risk getting hurt, and it's a wonder they didn't because they were even biting the barbed wrie fence! Then I was reminded that if we are REALLY serious about finding God and serving Him, we might even have to risk our lives in our serious quest. Well, these dogs obviously had FOUND what they were looking for...but I couldn't see a thing...UNTIL I climbed the fence and looked at the top of the fence pole. There was a hole in the middle of it, and down inside the hole there was a mama squirrel and her little babies. I saw the animal, and later we heard the chattering and squeaks...so...those dogs had found what they were searching for! The KNEW it was for REAL even though they couldn't see. Interesting! But that's not all! As they were continuing to bark and scratch frantically, it made such a "scene", that my 3 little girls came running from the house to see what the excitement was all about. Isn't this what happens when someone finds the REAL TREASURE, JESUS, and he is so thrilled about it? If Jesus is our DELIGHT, we will "bark and bark" and tell the world about the wonderful TREASURE we have found! Then we will "lie down right beside Him and stay there" just like the dogs did. They stayed almost all morning! In fact, little Sparkie went snooping around a little more, but then he always came back and dug and jumped and barked a little more-which is a good illustration of how we as Christians should KEEP ON digging and searching God's Word even after we've found the "treasure of our hearts". We keep on seeking to know Him better!...Well, those dogs worked themselves up so much that they were almost breathless, thirsty, and panting hard! And then I thought of: "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God..!" I pray that this one will THIRST like the little deer and SEARCH like little Sparkie until he finds HIM whom my soul LOVES! Another illustration came to my mind: Those little squirrels were very safe inside that pole even though the dogs were barking wildly outside. That pole is like JESUS! When we put our trust in HIM, we are HIDDEN and SAFE! Also, one last illustration came to my mind: Have you ever heard that GOD is the "Hound of Heaven"? Well, I also pray that GOD will not let go but will track this one down "until they SURRENDER their life totally to Him!
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