It's A Dog's Life -3

Learning spiritual lessons from events in our daily life is essential to our growth. Jesus constantly taught this way. Thinking about how our animals interact with us and learning something about our own relationship with God is nothing new. In Psalm 73 we see this as we read: “I am as a beast before You.”
Our little dog watches us intently to see what we are doing and will jump at the chance to accompany us in whatever we are doing. Sometimes it seems uncanny how he can know we are getting ready to go somewhere. He begins to jump around our feet and occasionally whines. There have to be certain things we do that tell Porter (our dog) that we are getting ready to leave, yet even when we try and disguise our plans he seems to know.
Of course we are not “just an animal”. We are humans, created in the image of our Creator. We have been given minds capable of understanding and entering into a relationship with Him that is a lot more than a dog can do. However, we must remember that God is so infinitely higher than us that we must keep our entire attention focused on Him in order to successfully follow Him and fulfill His will. Jesus says: “look unto Me and be saved”. As a child learns by watching (imitation), as our dog learns by watching, so we must be quick to pick up on every hint of what He wants us to do. But how?
How do we watch and follow God when we cannot see Him with our physical eyes? This is where the Bible comes in. When we read the Bible we must remember we are not reading a book. Rather we are listening to God's voice. Read as if you were sitting in a room with God as He speaks to you. We all know we can hear someone better when we are looking at them. It seems silly, but watching them talk we see the mouth move and watch the expressions that go with the words. It makes the hearing a lot clearer. We understand so much better what is said.
So it is with God's word. Ask God to help you understand. Then read slowly and let each word sink into your mind. Imagine the setting of the story. See the characters in your mind's eye. Picture yourself listening to what is being said, with the reactions of various others around you. This is how you will find yourself understanding God's voice in a new, clearer way. The nuances will be evident. You will be surprised at the clarity you have in knowing God's will. May your understanding be even better than how your dog understands you.