When I got home tonight, I discovered I’m no longer afraid of the dogs. I rent a beautiful apartment on the property of a wonderful family. They have three dogs. One is very docile and always greets me with a friendly tail wag when I arrive. He never seems to bark. The other two always bark, and sometimes growl. One of them still wags her tail but she tries to act ferociously.
I’ve lived here two and a half months now, and so I’ve tried to make peace with them. I can tell they’ve gotten somewhat used to me, but they still come running and barking. I try to talk to them in a calm manner and tell them I won’t hurt them. I also pray, every time, for God to help me with them. A few times I’ve felt scared, especially when they get too close with their growls.
It’s not these dogs that causes my fear. Back in 1997 I was serving as a volunteer university lecturer in Siberian Russia and I was attacked by a rabid dog. I have always loved dogs but it took a while to get over that. However, with the passage of time, I’ve felt safe with dogs again and continue to love them. It’s when they growl, though, that I still get chills up and down my spine.
About a week ago, I realized how much this still bothers me. I wondered if I needed to bring it up in a prayer ministry session and get some healing. I prayed once again and asked God to help me get past my fear. We’ve worked on every other fear … why not this one! I’m having a couple prayer ministry sessions in the next week; in the back of my mind, I’ve thought maybe I’ll ask Him.
Tonight, however, I walked up to barking and growling … and it didn’t shake me at all. I felt no chills, not even a twinge of fear. Just peace. God does that sometimes. Just sovereignly heals us … just because He can. It’s His grace.
Sometimes we need to pursue our healing, and confess our sins (yes, fear is a sin) to one another. At other times, He just takes care of things. Tonight, He showed me that my fear of dogs is gone. Praise God!
Adventures with God 