There's a farm about a mile from my house that has a pond with ducks and geese. Passing that pond makes me smile now, but there was a time when it would cause my heart to ache. A pet that my family and I had dearly loved, our female duck Daisy, had died, leaving a void in our hearts and in our little flock, that we longed to fill. For five months we went by that pond on a regular basis, watching the ducks at play, and looking longingly at the ones that reminded us of our Daisy. At times, we even entertained the notion of approaching the owner of the farm, and asking him if he'd be willing to part with one of his ducks. Never had we dared to dream how God would exceed our highest expectations in sending us a new pet to love.

After we lost Daisy, we put the word out to all of our duck-related contacts that we were looking to adopt a female duck in need of a good home. Our males, Larry and Ginger, were almost two years old, so we told everyone that we needed a female that was full-grown. She couldn't be too small, because our boys were domestic-sized, and a small duck like a mallard would never survive. The trouble was that large domestic ducks weren't that common in the wild, so this requirement alone was enough to discourage us at times. We felt that it was essential for our boys to accept our new addition, so we told everyone that we would only take a new female on a trial basis. Needless to say, this made our search an even greater challenge. We had tried to get Larry and Ginger to accept females other than Daisy on numerous occasions in the past, and never once were they receptive to the idea. In fact, they were downright hostile. Lastly, my family and I earnestly wanted a new female that was relatively tame, like our boys. We had raised Larry, Ginger, and Daisy almost from birth, and they grew up being held and hugged. As a result, they were much tamer and more people-friendly than their counterparts in the wild. So we told our contacts that we wanted a new pet that wasn't too skittish around people.

All this time, we were lifting our petitions up to the Lord daily. We knew we were asking Him for a lot, but we also knew His promise in Ephesians 3:20, which says: "Now glory be to God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of--infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." (TLB) So we got into agreement with God, His Word, and His will for us, and by faith, we positioned ourselves to receive His best in the matter. One day, we got a call from a lady who worked for a bird rescue facility about an hour away from our home. She knew about our search, and she said that she was in touch with a family who had rescued a female duck, but couldn't keep her. She wasn't at all certain that this duck, which had been named Katie, was the pet we were looking for, but she said that we could take her on a trial basis, so we agreed. Upon Katie's arrival, the first thing that struck us was that she was the absolute perfect size for our boys, and that she was strikingly beautiful, unlike any other duck we'd ever seen. The second thing we noticed was that instead of Larry and Ginger being hostile toward her, they were afraid of her! But by the end of the day, all three were getting along so well that we knew they were destined to be the best of friends. Best of all, that very evening, my family and I were able to hold Katie in our arms and hug her. To this day, we call her our "miracle duck," because she has exceeded our highest expectations in every way.

Let me encourage you to pray with a greater level of expectation from now on. God wants to do more in you, through you, and for you than you could ever imagine. And He'll do exactly that if you'll live your life for Him, and cooperate with His plans for you. Let me leave you with this precious promise from the Lord today: "God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" (Ephesians 3:20 - The Message Bible)

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for the times I've prayed with little faith or expectation. Give me a growing passion for Your presence and Your Word, so that my faith in You will grow in leaps and bounds. Teach me to take my needs and desires straight to You, and help me to pray bold prayers that will get results that exceed my highest expectations in every way. Thank You that as I follow Your lead, You'll do things on my behalf far above my wildest dreams!

For a photo of Ginger, Larry, & Katie, click here!