Man’s Best Friend

Dogs are often referred to as man’s best friend. They have earned that monicker because they are loyal pets. Cats are fickle (no offense, cat people). Cats have this look in their eye where you can just tell they think they are better than you. Cats think they are in charge, and you only exists to meet their needs. Dogs, on the other hand, seem to live for one thing, and one thing only: to get your attention. Dogs love their masters, and they are willing to look the other way on our shortcomings because they just want to be with us.

In a way you could say dogs worship their owner. In fact, we often use the word master instead of owner. That kind of sounds religious, doesn’t it? The biblical words used for worship in the Old Testament carry the idea of prostration, of lying down in homage before someone. But one of those Hebrew words used in the Bible is derived from the relationship of a loyal pet to his master.

In his book titled Worship: The Christian’s Highest Occupation, A.P. Gibbs used the concept of a rescue dog to portray how Christians should worship God. When someone adopts a pet out of a bad environment, whether it be an abusive home or a stray off the street, the dog realizes he is being taken out of a bad situation and put into a better one. He doesn’t fully realize this right away, but over time he continues to learn just how good his new master is. Because of his learned appreciation, that dog will become a loyal pet; he will truly be man’s best friend.

As Christians we do not necessarily understand the full scope of God’s goodness when we are new to the faith; we could argue that we will never fully grasp it. But over time, the more we learn about God, the more we will want to worship Him in appreciation for all He has done for us. There may even be times when God doesn’t make sense; there will be tragedies, sicknesses, even pandemics and unrest.

Unbelievers and the those younger in the faith may struggle with the goodness of God, but those who have known God longer, those who have witnessed His track record, will have an easier time. They can say, “I don’t understand why this is happening, but God has rescued me. God has been good to me. God has never let me down. Even though I don’t get this, I trust God has a plan.”

With the loyalty of a dog, let us worship our Master. With the appreciation of a rescued dog, let us trust the goodness of our Master. Let us be people of worship.