To be honest, I never thought to pray for my pets.
Both our cat and dog have been healthy and I’ve never considered adding them to my prayer list.
Lincoln is the first dog I’ve truly loved deeply. I fell madly in love with him the moment I held him as a six-week-old puppy. He’s so good-natured and such a friendly dog. Our sassy black cat lives outside and catches lots of mice, moles, and (sadly) baby rabbits.
But as I pondered writing this article, I had a bad dream.
In the dream, my sweet dog, Lincoln, was having terrible stomach issues and I was afraid he was going to die. I could see blood about to spill from his body so I covered the first spot I saw with my left hand. Then I saw another spot pop up so I covered it with my other hand. I was in full panic mode at this point not knowing how I could call 911 for help because I was afraid if I moved my hands from him, he’d surely die. I woke up in a terrible state.
I rolled over with my heart aching for my pet. I worried he had some unknown health issue, and I began to pray for him completely out of instinct.
After I prayed, I remembered how I’d never prayed for my pets that I could recall. Yet it came second nature when I grew concerned about a possible health issue.
If we believe in God, then we know He made our sweet pets and gave them to us. We know He can do miraculous things when we seek Him and ask for help.
Christians are advised to pray about everything in Philippians:
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
Of course we should say prayers for our pets. We should pray for anything we care about.
When a pet is sick or lost, we become anxious because they’re a great concern for us. We love them so much. They deserve to be included in our prayers. God cares about the smallest details of our lives. He certainly cares for the animals we care for and love.
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I’ve never lost a beloved pet, but my mom lost her dog a while back. He was let outside like he’d been many times before but he never came back to the door. They looked everywhere. She put ads in the local paper and family members posted on social trying to find him.
Many months later, she still doesn’t have her sweet Buddy back. Her heart is broken and she still hopes he will be brought back to her soon. The love she has for him shows in her voice when she speaks of him. She misses him terribly.
Not knowing what happened to a pet can be unsettling. Even though we may not know where they are or what happened to them, God does. We can ask for help in this situation and to be able to accept the outcome whatever it may be.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving us animals to care for and love.
We ask for your guidance to find our beloved pet. You know the depth of our love and how much we miss them. Please give us insight to the whereabouts of our pet. Show us where we might search to bring them home as soon as possible.
If someone has found our pet, please move them to seek us out so we may get our pet back quickly.
We know nothing is hidden from You. You know everything.
If it’s not possible for us to have them back then we thank You for allowing us to have our sweet pet for the time we’ve had them.
In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals. Psalm 36:6
Dear Lord,
Thank you for giving us our sweet fur baby. We ask you to help him feel better as quickly as possible. Please help the vet figure out what is going on and advise us how to care for him properly to get him well.
Help us to do everything possible within our ability to help our pet get through this illness. They bring us such joy and unconditional love. We want the absolute best for them.
Give our pet calmness as he goes through this illness and the ability to get through it with little bad effects. We pray this illness doesn’t lead to the loss of life. We ask for complete healing and restoration for our pet.
In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:10
There may come a time when we have to say goodbye. It might break our hearts.
So many have had to make the agonizing decision to put their pet down due to health issues. I can’t imagine because I haven’t been in this situation. But my love for Lincoln is so deep the thought of saying goodbye to him is heartbreaking.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the life you’ve given our sweet pet. We praise you for allowing us to share so many good times together. He’s brought more joy to our family than we could have ever imagined. He holds a very special place in our hearts.
He is family.
We don’t want to say goodbye. It hurts knowing we’ll never see or hold him again. The emptiness will be difficult. Our world will never be the same without him.
Help us to get through this loss. Give us comfort knowing we were allowed to have him for the time we did. We love him deeply. We will never forget the love and joy he brought to our lives.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Luke 12:6
Praying for our pets brings comfort because we trust God. We know His way is best for us and for our pets.
We trust their health, well-being, and everyday life in the hands of God. He created them and loves them more than we will ever understand or know until we get to Heaven.
I found a helpful prayer for pets online. A Prayer for Pets
Pray along with them for pets, for vets, and for those who care for abused or neglected animals.
The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10
Most Scripture about animals in the Bible has to do with creation and animal sacrifice. God delights in His creation but does not delight in animal sacrifice. Even though it was required by law in the Old Testament to cover sin.
“The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?” says the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.” Isaiah 1:11
Thank goodness Jesus came and fulfilled the law making a way for us to be right with God through His perfect sacrifice covering all of our sins. Through Him, we are forgiven. No more animal sacrifice required. Jesus has us covered!
As with all creation, the animals God made are amazing! How they know exactly what to do is mind-blowing. His creation is perfect. He loves them and makes them with a great purpose (Even though I’m going to ask about a couple of them I don’t like much when I get to Heaven.).
Of course, God loves our pets. He expects us to care for them and knows how much we love them. Because we’ve been created in God’s image, we too, want to care for animals and provide for their needs.
The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. Psalm 104:21
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Melinda Eye Cooper grew up in the Missouri Ozarks but lives near Nashville, Tennessee with her family. She writes articles and devotions and has some fiction projects in the works. Melinda grew up in a large family and is number seven of ten children. Many of her devotions and stories are inspired from her childhood.
Melinda has been honored to be a Selah Awards finalist for online articles and was a finalist for the 2023 Writer of the Year Award with Serious Writer as well as a 2024 Semi-finalist for the ACFW Genesis Contest.
Visit her website here to receive blog posts via email. You can follow her on Facebook here or Instagram here.
Her book of articles and devotions is available here.
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