Proverbs 21 “My Horse, Life”

“The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
 but victory rests with the Lord.” Proverbs 21:31

Maybe I read too many cowboy and indian stories as a child, but when I read that verse, I had a visual of a lone horseman, with head hanging down, riding a sorry looking horse through a blizzard, then a dust storm, a desert and finally a beautiful, inviting green valley. So, I guess we’ll go with that today!

You, the weary horseman, ride a horse named Life. You prepare this horse with necessary tack for the long road ahead. The saddle represents the hand of God, which you sit in all throughout your journey. The bridle and reins represent His word to guide you. The grain and food you sealed and wrapped in the saddle bags represent hope. The new shoes on your horse represent faith. Since your horse, Life, might lose one or they start to wear thin, you carry extras in your saddlebags. The nails to reattach your faith shoes represent truth. You have done all this to prepare for the storms of your trip along the trail marked Heaven.

When the blizzard rages and you can’t see your hand in front of your face, His word, the reins will guide you. The faith shoes attached with truth nails, march bravely on. The saddle, God’s hand, holds you. Here’s a thought – since God’s hand is not cold and harsh, you have a heated seat! How sweet is that!

Then comes the dust storm darkening the way and filling your whole being with dirt and grit/sorrow and sin. Its everywhere. You feel like you’re being sand blasted by these sorrows and sins. It feels like they will consume you. But, you know when the dust storm is done, the food you had sealed and wrapped is untouched and clean. You find a spark of hope at the thought of food without an extra crunch from the dirt. That hope helps you march bravely on in faith shoes, still guided by the reins of God’s word.

Then you meet the desert. The dry, harsh, baked to a crisp land filled with endless rocks and hard places. Life’s shoes of faith have worn thin and she even lost one. So, you dig out the new shoes and you tack them on with nails of truth. The new shoes are your faith revived and strengthened. You now have a greater resolve to press on toward your goal.

All the while you’re still sitting in the saddle, God’s hand. (The heated seat thought you might want to turn off now that you’re in a hot land!) You are being guided by His word, and eating the bread of hope. Your horse has new shoes, but the horse itself, Life, has grown old and worn, slowing everyday. The horse wants to lie down and give up. She longs for rest, her body frail and weak.

Just as she takes her last stumbling steps over one remaining rocky grade, you look up and see a beautiful green, luscious valley before you. A Man of great splendor sees you and comes to welcome you to His beautiful home, inviting you to get off your horse as she stumbles to her knees taking her last breath.

You jump off and run to this beautiful land, rejoicing at the sight of your new home, your eternal life, with the great majestic Man, the Lord your God. How sweet your rest. How glorious your peace. How great your life now is.

Today prepare your horse well for the storms ahead. No matter how hard the trail, do not lose hope. Walk strong in truth. Hold fast to the Word. He is carrying you. You will have rest. You will have victory in the Lord!

   “our present sufferings are not worth comparing
 with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

Sharing with….Jennifer Dukes Lee