Dog Park Lesson #2: Delighting in Being Near

The next acrostic letter is Beth, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet and provides the passage for Dog Park Lesson #2 as I’ve been watching the comings and goings at the Dog Park.

Psalm 119: 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 12 Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. 13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

As I was watching the man who had struggled to get the gate open (just like me in Lesson #1), I noticed his dogs exhibited two totally different manners in experiencing the state of being unleashed.  One dog ran about doing whatever he wanted, full of the exhilaration of freedom.  The other stayed close by.  Both were under good voice command and obeyed.  One just delighted in being near the master.

How often do I treat God’s Word like it’s a voice command to bring me back so I don’t stray while I enjoy the thrill of being free?  Do I like to sniff the outer boundaries of approved behavior and then return, but only when I hear His voice calling me back since I’ve gone a little too far?

The other dog helped me to think about the book on prayer I’ve been reading on the porch.  I asked myself, “How often do I act as though I am simply delighted to be near my Master?”  Do I hang on every word He says?  Do I cherish the sound of His footsteps and walking right beside Him?  Do I rejoice in His Word as the Psalmist does, “as one rejoices in great riches?”  Both dogs obeyed.  One preferred the master to the freedom.