Praying For Your Animal Companion
By Niki Behrikis Shanahan
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits —who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases.
Psalm 103:2-3
If your pet were sick would you pray for him or her? And if you did, do you think it would help? If your pet were lost, would you pray for their safe return? The answer is YES! I believe that prayer makes a big difference in the outcome of any situation. Mother Teresa said, “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” Prayer is an active and hopeful means of reaching out to experience God’s goodness.
Some people may not think you should pray for animals, but why not? Didn’t God create all the animals? Don’t they know that God loves all His creatures? The Bible says that our pets are part of our household, and most people pray for their family members. Our animal companions are surely part of our family!
My husband, Jack, and I continually prayed for our cat, Pete, during his life. Even with some health concerns, such as, urinary tract problems, which caused him to be blocked and very ill, a life-threatening situation if untreated quickly, veterinarians told us his kidneys were small and he had an enlarged heart. Then in his senior years he developed kidney disease. In spite of all that, God blessed Pete and he lived to be over 21 years old, which is considered a long life for a cat.
We prayed constantly for our cats Lukie and Joey and although we wanted them to live longer they did stay with us until they were 15.
We are so happy for all the answered prayer requests that we can share with you each month in the newsletter and on the website. I personally believe that God will heal all our pets, and only when the time finally comes when it is their time to go to Heaven will they leave us. Until then we need to keep praying and believing God for the help we need. Even when things look like there is no hope we can’t assume it’s their time to leave us, because only God knows when it’s time for them to go to Heaven.
All the time is the right time to pray for our pets. We don’t have to wait until something is wrong to pray. We can start praying for our pets today, and ask God to protect them and keep them healthy. We can say a prayer of grace over their food each day, and ask God to bless them. There’s a quote from an unknown author that says, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak.”
For more information on praying for your animal companion see the articles on the website and my book, Animal Prayer Guide.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Copyright 2018 Niki Behrikis Shanahan All rights reserved. Not to be used without author’s explicit written authorization. To reprint this article, please contact the author at eternalanimals@comcast.net.