The Hound of Heaven

Many of you are probably familiar with the classic poem "The Hound of Heaven" by a man named Francis Thompson. His lifetime bridged the turning of the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries, and he wrote this beautiful and stirring verse out of a desperate life experience. Mr. Thompson suffered an illness or injury at some point in his life, which lead to a terrible addiction to opiates, and the resultant life of agony and destitution on the streets. But finally he realized that God never once gave up on him. If you have never read the poem, I encourage you to do so. Innumerable people have had their lives enriched by Thompson's words, and many who have never actually read the entire poem have heard this term--Hound of Heaven—used to describe our incredibly faithful Father, Who pursues each of us with a relentlessness we struggle to comprehend. 

I think of this name for God so often, and let me show you why...

Maggie in action

This is Maggie, also known as Maggie-Waggie, Pipa, Maggles, and many other affectionate nicknames. She is a nine year-old girl who had a rough start to life, and has struggled to feel safe and loved ever since. We adopted her when she was about eighteen months old, and her origin story involved a lot of time in a crate with little contact or socialization of any kind. She is so sweet, and she loves people more than anything in the world. The only problem is that she is a little bit beserk, and has zero social awareness. And in her puppy years, she developed the habit of licking the air compulsively, all day long. She is much better now, but still slips into this habit when she is nervous, or, let's be honest, when she wakes up every single day until she remembers that she's okay now. When it is just us at home, she is pretty well-behaved and obedient, but when someone new walks in, all bets are off. Her joyful exuberance can hardly be contained. 

All of this might make you wonder how on earth this little dysfunctional pup can remind me of the great Hound of Heaven so often, but that she does. Allow me to explain. 

Maggie is a breed that has some bulldog in there somewhere, and though she is small, she has a mighty dose of stubbornly knowing What Ought to Happen. Life is very simple to her: on a perfect day, we will all get up, do our business, eat a little breakfast, go for a nice prayer walk and greet all the passersby, have a rousing bark to greet the other dog across the lake (which, to my daily delight, is actually her own echo!), come in and sit together while we get some things done, have a little snack just because, take a nice nap, check on all of the birds in the trees and smells in the yard, eat a little dinner, snuggle in to read something on the couch, and then go to bed, so we can get up and repeat the perfect day again tomorrow. This is deeply ingrained into her mind, and unchangeably programmed into her spirit. 

The only problem with this, of course, is that her idea of What Ought to Happen, almost never happens. But this pesky fact does not deter our girl. She is faithfully on hand to remind us of What Ought to Happen at all times. She loves exercise and sits by my walking shoes every morning with that look in her eyes. Every person we pass on our walk is the most wonderful person she's ever met, deserving of our attention. She is very concerned with proper nutrition, and has a stomach clock that goes off to the minute when her mealtime comes. She has great appreciation for everything happening around her—no bird flies by or squirrel hops past unnoticed. She lives to be an integral part of our little pack, and loves our pack leader with all of her heart. She stands upright to put her paws on my leg when I have sat at my desk and ignored her for too long (as in the picture above). She makes a nightly beeline for the couch, always so joyfully hopeful that we can all sit together. She is always on hand to remind us that life is simpler and more lovely than we often make it. 

Isn't this just how the Lord continuously recaptures our attention? Francis Thompson was right: the Hound of Heaven is relentlessly faithful, determined to lavish His greatest gifts and blessings upon each of us, no matter how stubbornly we try to refuse. 

God is everywhere, and His messengers are innumerable. Our little ambassador of the Hound of Heaven happens to be canine, but God's reminders come in all forms. He gets our attention through nature—pets and wild creatures, the weather, the view. Sometimes it is through art—a beautiful painting, or a haunting melody, or a captivating poem. So often, it is through people—our children and families, the neighbors, a coworker, a sales associate at the grocery store, the troubled person on the corner. It is impossible to escape His desire to help us become everything He created us to be, and to be mindful of what is real and true

I can think of so many times I've been driving down the road, worrying about who-knows-what, when my eye is caught by the rays of a magnificent sunset lighting up the sky—reminding me that the One Who faithfully paints the amazingly varied, daily masterpiece in the sky is absolutely able to help me with my problems.  I recall so often walking on through life, my mind crowded with concerns, when the vivid shading of some fantastic flora catches my eye—the intricacies of each petal reminding me that life is filled with beauty and hope amidst the trouble. The delighted wonder and laughter of a grandchild, the tenderness and love I hear in my husband's voice, the taste of dark chocolate, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee...the list of daily reminders of our loving Father and His endless goodness is long and varied. The Hound of Heaven relentlessly pursues each of us with so much more than we often allow into our lives. Let's slow down, and let Him catch us a little more often. 

The prophet Jeremiah reminded us that God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." The Lord is faithful and true, and He is for you! This is also true of your neighbor; even the one who thinks differently than you do, which is so important to remember at this time of year. Be encouraged today, and I pray that your senses will be open to perceive the many ways the Hound of Heaven is on your trail.

​Now, please excuse me while I take this girl for our walk!

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​As I write this post, it is my birthday in Christ, and this marks 34 years that I have been a follower of Jesus! I am so thankful to God for His faithful pursuit and for His relentless reminders of what life is truly about. Thank you Mom and Dad, for showing me such a beautiful faith and commitment to God, and for giving me such an incredible foundation and support. Thank you Melanie, for being willing to share the Good News with me when I was finally ready to truly hear it. And thank you to so many of you reading this, who have been such a beautiful part of my own journey of faith in Christ!