Litter box prayers

© 2021 Julie Crane All rights reserved

 Now hang with me.

I promise there is a message of hope by the end of this post.

I'm in my morning chair with my morning coffee and my morning devotional. As I get ready to start prayer journaling, I see my cat heading over to the litter box. Not big news - unless she decided three weeks ago to not use the litter box but to poop near it instead. (*) So the first prayer in my journal was: "Lord, make her poop in the box." Then I went on to other prayer-like thoughts, which somehow evolved into baring my soul about some deep emotional issue I've been trying to ignore. I poured my heart out to God (Psalm 6:28) wondering if there would ever be a real resolution to what I perceived as a longstanding, unanswered prayer problem. As words like faith, hope, trust and believe rose up in my mind, so did the scratch, scratch sound of litter being pawed to cover its intended purpose.

And immediately this passage came to mind:

Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say "Get up, take up your mat and walk'? (Mark 2:9)

Which is easier - Jesus asks - in red ink.

Forgive you your sins?

Make a paralyzed man walk?

Return a cat to the litter box?

Heal your impossible need?

As He says which is easier, isn't He also saying, "Is one of these harder, more difficult, even impossible for Me?" You know the answer. You've quoted it to others many a time: Matthew 19:26... with God all things are possible. 

Are you thinking you have something so minor that God won't want to be bothered? You are wrong.

Do you think God handles other peoples "more important" problems but doesn't have the time or energy to spend on the unending prayer request you've been struggling with? Of course not. Or do you have something too stinking ugly - even for God? Something you just want to bury? Wrong and wrong again.

When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen (Isaiah 60:22). And while you're wondering about His "when", you need to look for His "why".

Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say "Get up, take up your mat and walk'? (Mark 2:9)

"But I want you to know...

... that the Son of Man has authority... (Mark 2:10)

The God of all wisdom and strength, the God of all love and concern, THAT God - is your God. He wants you to wait, to watch, and to know.

I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him" (Lamentations 3:24) Portion means enough. The Lord is enough, sufficient, and all I need. Even in the waiting.

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which He revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. (John 2:11)

When He heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." (John 11:4)

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" (John 11:40)

Whatever it is - pray about it. And may you also see the glory of God, as you put your hope in Him.

(*) Yes, she was taken to the vet and checked out just fine. Appears she was constipated and related the discomfort of that to the litter box. She is fine now.