I have two dogs that I love.  One is our old faithful family dog, and another, a young adorable Chihuahua mix who is smart as a whip and can read me like a book.  

 

I was thinking the other day about habits and how much we run our lives on autopilot. Case in point, is when I let my elderly dog outside early one morning and he came in and stood right where he always does when he expects a treat.  We have this routine, he and I.  And right on cue, I opened the treat bag and produced what he wanted.  

 

I know this sounds like an odd parallel, but I drew from it a lesson that I needed in that moment. Sometimes, even our faith is rote; a habit we do without thinking deeply about it. 

 

Each morning, I sit on the same spot on my couch and read from my Bible and sip at my tea.  I might jot an entry in my journal, and remember everyone I need to pray for along with all the things I need God’s help with in my life.  It’s routine.  It’s comfortable.  It’s my time with Him. 

 

I’ve been praying for some of the same issues and people for years.  I’m sure we all have things we are waiting to see manifest.  But I had to ask myself, if I am still saying the words, do I still believe they will be answered?

 

God is pretty clear – He wants us to trust Him.  He wants for us to do what is in our hands to do and leave the rest up to Him.  The Word tells us to submit to Him in all that we do, and He will provide.   We want circumstances to change.   We want to see Him move. But do we believe that He will?  Or are we in the habit of keeping our expectations low so that we are not disappointed?

 

My point in this is to hopefully reignite an old lesson with new faith.  God is the God of miracles.  Yet, He is also a God of contrasts.  He wants us to believe without first seeing.  He wants us to be still, while also taking action as one does who has already received.  He wants us to be patient, to rest in Him, while also not relenting in asking Him for the things our hearts desire.   

 

For me, I find in the tension, a new awareness that I am to continue with my personal rituals while also being bold enough to say out loud, “I know You will do it, God!  I know You hear my prayers. Thank You that You will provide even greater than I can hope for or imagine.”

 

My old dog knows that I will take care of him.  He knows that I will feed him, that I will help him when it’s hard for him to get to his feet sometimes.  He knows that I will walk him, pulling him gently along because it’s good for him to move.  He knows that I will carry him up the stairs at night.  He trusts me… His care and wellbeing are dependent on me because he knows he can’t do for himself.  He just keeps on being a good and faithful servant. 

 

It’s hard for us sometimes to understand that there are things we just have to keep trusting God for because we don’t know how not to.   God sees this. He knows what He’s doing even when we don’t.  But I think He also wants us to step out, to knock a little more boldly at the door and ask Him for more than what is comfortable.  It’s not that we need to wake up God… but perhaps to wake up ourselves.  

 

We shouldn’t be afraid to anticipate more. We have a God who wants to show Himself mighty.  When we engage in the possibilities of seeing Him move in big ways, we start to notice all the signs and wonders that are already happening in our midst.  

 

It’s good to have habits of faith.  It’s good that we rely on Him to take care of us.  But sometimes, I think it’s also good to not just walk by faith, but to run.  To dance in the knowing that He can and will do more than we expect of Him, but we need to be bolder in that expectation. 

 

God is the God of the Promise.  Nothing is too hard, too complex, too impossible for Him.  

 

Be in the habit of asking Him – of expecting Him— for what is deepest within your heart, not just for what is routine.

 

He wants to surprise you with the Miraculous because that is who He is. 

Love and Blessings.

 

 

Mary Bryant is the author of "When He Walks Away… Hearing God When Your Husband Leaves Your Marriage,” a 5-Star Rated book available on Amazon