Hi JFK,
There are actually quite a few verses I had not considered until recently.
Ps 36:6 Your righteousness is like the mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike.
Proverbs 12:10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap not gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Ps 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
Job 12:7-10 But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and they will teach you: and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
Luke 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Psalm 50: 10-12 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
Psalm 145:15-16 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand: you satisfy the desire of every living thing
So, I guess what I think, and lauriellen expressed her sense of responsibility very well, that animals are entrusted to us and they, along with us are God's creation. God knows that we will not be dispassionate about any creature we have a bond with. ( my opinion ) And if I'm anxious about Anything, I am invited to pray. And if I have any lack of anything, I am reminded to pray.
Animals are important in God's view because they are His creation and because they were 'worthy' to be sacrificed for sin (they could not measure up but they were the ones being sacrificed ) and the entire reason Noah spent all that time building that ark was because of the enormity of the thing due to the animals God was saving.
On a personal note, we took Scout to her favorite place and she waded into a brook and said hello to people. Then we went on a drive with the dogs snuggled up in the backseat. So bitter sweet. When she 'goes to sleep' I'm going to ask my husband to call our son so they can deal with this together. Maybe an opportunity for Nathan to see his father's vulnerability. I'm praying God uses this for good.
Thanks for remembering us.