It was a cold November morning in Colorado, and I was home, nervously listening for the phone. I'd been looking and praying for an apartment for months, so I was waiting for a call from someone who (I hoped) would be my new landlord.

The phone rang and I leapt to answer it, but it wasn't the call I expected. A friend of mine had an urgent problem. His mother's dog, Oscar, was lost. She'd let him out in the yard to play that morning. Usually Oscar stayed in front of the house, but today he'd darted out into the street in front of a car. My friend's mom was sure the car had hit him.

By the time she made it outside, Oscar had disappeared. Terrified that he was injured and hiding in fear, she frantically searched the neighborhood, but couldn't find him. The fact that a recent snowstorm had given way to freezing weather made it especially important to locate the dog.

Several hours passed, and Oscar was still missing. My friend was stuck at work, so he asked if I would be willing to help his mother canvass the neighborhood. I agreed, and he urged me to leave as quickly as possible.

But when I hung up, I realized I was not going anywhere anytime soon. My car was covered in a thick layer of ice and snow that would require scraping and defrosting. Then the engine would need time to warm up after the extremely low temperatures of the past several days. I also had to find plenty of warm clothes if I was going to be outside in icy conditions. As I thought of the things I needed to do before I could leave, I started to panic.

Then it occurred to me that the most helpful action I could take was something I could do standing right there in my socks. I calmed down and began to pray.

During my search for a new apartment over the past couple of months, I'd been praying constantly for God's direction. I was actively trying to gain a better understanding of myself as God's child, to see that I was never separated from His wisdom and love. I'd come to see that I was never for a moment left to fend for myself in hostile situations.

In that moment, I realized that these truths also applied to Oscar.

I really trusted that these spiritual truths would lead me to the right new home for myself, and I was confident they would lead this beloved pet home as well. Daunting material circumstances, whether they appeared as an apparent lack of housing or as cold weather, accident, or injury, were all unknown to God. None of these things could be more real or powerful than infinite Mind, or God, and Her creation. God's creation includes men, women, children—and animals, too.

I knew that each of God's ideas dwells or lives "under the shadow of the Almighty" (Ps. 91:1). We are protected by God and have the right to take comfort in the Psalmist's promise that "he shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust" (verse 4).

This spiritual cover, protection, and comfort preclude any seemingly dangerous or extreme circumstance. Another line from the same psalm states, "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (verse 11). I knew that God's angel thoughts were right there in perfect communication with Oscar, no matter where he was.

I was finally able to leave the house about 20 minutes after the initial call. I didn't get past the corner of my block before my cellphone rang. It was my friend, with great news. Oscar had been returned to his family by a woman who'd found him on a hiking trail.

Not only was Oscar home, but he showed no signs of being injured. A quick trip to the vet confirmed that he was unharmed, much to his owner's surprise.

The prayers that had stretched over weeks as I struggled to find housing, and to uplift my own thoughts to the spiritual harmony that is the divine reality, blessed this situation with a quick and powerful supply of Truth. Although I had felt a fair amount of frustration over the arduous process of finding a place to live, I was now very grateful for all the spiritual studying that I had been prompted to do. Oscar's quick return strengthened my trust in God's guidance.

The phone call I had been waiting for came the next morning; I got the apartment I wanted, and I'm happy to say that it has been a perfect home. A greater sense of the spiritual promise of home blessed both Oscar and me! |CSS

Ashley Byrne lives in Washington, DC.

This article first appeared on www.spirituality.com.

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