The Journey
“…If God hadn’t been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, ‘I’m slipping, I’m falling,’ Your love, God, took hold and held me fast. When I was upset and beside myself, You calmed me down and cheered me up.” Psalm 94:16 MSG
This verse became very visual for me recently while I was watching a documentary that followed several seasoned cowboys as they rode tamed wild mustangs on a three-month-plus journey from Mexico to Canada along harrowing, narrow, high-mountain trails and through some very wild, rugged, beautiful country. The cowboys and horses, working in harmony and unity through the challenges, became close buddies during their long days together.
About two and a half months into the journey, the group encountered a trail that tested every bit of their fortitude. Having no route other than up a very steep, shale-covered mountainside, the riders dismounted and began leading their horses up the trail on foot. The men and horses, slipping and sliding, were making slow, upward progress when one of the horses stepped onto a large piece of shale and its hooves began sliding. The horse struggled to regain its footing; the cowboy worked to stand his own ground while trying to encourage the horse, but the horse panicked, bolted, and tumbled a short way down the mountainside. The horse, though bumped, bruised, and frightened, was not badly harmed.
After the cowboy had calmed and quieted the horse, he took firm hold of the reins and power-pulled that frightened horse up onto the trail and back over that same section of shale, all the while talking to it in a firm you-can-do-this and there-is-no-other-option voice. They all finally made it to the top and continued on to safely and successfully complete their journey.
How many times in the hard journeys of life do I react just like that sliding horse, and end up in a heap somewhere off the path the Lord is leading me up—all banged up, bruised, and frightened—and He comes to calm and quiet me, but not to leave me where I’ve landed. He firmly and lovingly leads me back where I’m supposed to be.
Heavenly Father, how wonderful is Your mighty love for me…thank You!
I enjoyed your story today. I have three mustangs that run free in our canyons. We trained one to go in a trailer to be castrated (against the law to let stallions run free). He is very trusting of us. I love your words and prayers.
Thank you for sharing this story. I am like that frightened horse so many times and yet my Heavenly Father holds my reigns and talks me through over and over again. I just realized right this minute why the children of Israel grumbled and balked over & over again in the wilderness against Moses! They let FEAR overtake their reasoning and would forget what God had just done for them in the previous delemma! I am no different when I forget the Lord’s benefits in my life. Lord, please make this a pivotal moment in my life so I will remember that You ALWAYS have my back!