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14 May 2008 Need a Bit and Bridle? Tex is a stubborn horse. I hesitate to use the phrase “barn sour”, but as my mother says, “If the shoe fits, put it on”. We may have to put the shoe on Tex. Maybe he was not “whispered” to in his training years. Whatever the cause, the result is that at times you really have to work the reins attached to the bit in his mouth. The Bible says in Psalm 32:8-9, “ Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check.” We should not need a bridle and bit to hold us in place or guide us. I cannot imagine Tex without a bit and reins. How would it be to just sit on his back and guide him with a voice command or the gentle pressure of the knees and feet, as well as the subtle leaning of body weight? I have seen demonstrations of horses trained to just that style, and it is an amazing and beautiful thing to see and experience. That is exactly what the Lord wants with us. In the horse training methods mentioned above, the trainer doesn’t force the horse to do what he commands. He gently and firmly asks the large animal to bend to his will. He asks the horse to join him in cooperation and service, and reward. That is what the Lord does with us. He does not force us into a relationship with Him. He shows us our need, makes His appeal, and asks us to make a decision for or against Him. The choice is ours. Once we make the choice to join with Him in a relationship, then He invites us to maximize that salvation experience and go deeper in intimacy with Him and bend our will to His- to join Him in an adventure of life where he knows the trails and the goals. He knows the lay of the land and where He’d like to go with us, and what He’d like to do with us. He asks us and nudges us to come with Him on an adventure of cooperation with Him, service to Him and others, and the reward of His presence, guidance, love and watchful care every step of the way. Many times we make the initial commitment, but we forget who is riding the horse. The trail may get steep or rocky, and we balk at going that way. We feel the bit. We may erroneously think that we have to struggle and leave the trail for provisions. We may see green pastures off in the distance, certain that the trail will lead us there. But the trail boss has made plans for provision along the way. He has grain along- just enough for the journey. We search for greener pastures. We feel the bit. We usually don’t know where the trail is going until we are on it and moving forward. Often a rancher must leave the usual path, cut off into the brush and locate the strays, the weak, the sick, or the hiding. Wherever the rancher leads, the trusty steed must go. There are many dangers, but the horse and rider operate as one! The horse bending to the rider, together they do the daily work of the ranch. What a superb picture of our spiritual lives with the Lord He paints for us in the physical examples of our lives here on earth! He constantly gives us examples of how He desires to work with and relate to us. Isaiah 30:21 says that we will hear a voice in our ear saying go this way or that. And that is exactly what Psalm 32:8 says also-“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Like the horse and trainer/rider, we are to be sensitive to that whisper, sensitive to those knees applying just the slightest pressure, sensitive to the shift in body weight, all indicating which way to go, how fast to go, when to pause or back up. The adventure is more pleasant and exciting when we get to the point of not needing that bit. What a beautiful moment in the journey when horse and rider become one in movement, in purpose, in life. Like the horse that has bent his will to his master’s, we can be utterly confident of loving care, kindness, provision, correction, protection and devotion. I have a nephew whose horse lives in the house with him. Well, OK, one side of the building is the barn, and the other side is the living quarters. They have a mutual admiration of each other. It is evident. There is nothing the horse wouldn’t do for his master, and vice versa. The horse needs no bit. He knows his master’s voice, movements and mannerisms. They are a team, but they operate as one- the horse an extension of his rider. The Bible compares us to many things- sheep, plants, branches, etc., but whatever comparison we use, we know that ours is a relationship of willing submission to our Lord and Savior, who created us with big plans in mind for those who will bend to His gentle touch and His still small voice. |