“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Ps 20:7 NIV)
My body groaned as I spit the powdery stuff out of my mouth. What on earth was I doing with snow in my mouth? Why was I lying on such a cold floor? Why was I lying down at all???
I reached up and wiped the snowflakes from my eyes as I gingerly pushed my upper body up from its icy bed. Ouch! For some reason my arm wasn’t feeling so good . . . Sore, stiff, maybe a bit bruised . . . Then I saw another shape also pushing itself up from the ground: The black thoroughbred that only minutes before had been cantering down the road with me on his back . .
It was a beautiful day, the first such nice day in weeks. And believe me, after so many successive winter storms, it had been a welcome relief. So when our riding instructor called to ask if we wanted to take the horses out for a hack, we were all for the idea.
We had taken it easy at first, testing the road for ice and testing the horses, who hadn’t been out in two months, for excessive energy. But when both potential problems seemed to be nothing but vain worries, we decided to try some trotting. And then some cantering.
It was just the thing for the former race horse who flew down the road under me, and we were both having a great time. But then there came the last thing I could remember before finding myself facedown in the snow . . . The feeling of the massive black steed slipping on what proved to be the only patch of ice on our entire route . . . The feeling of flying through the air . . .
Where had it all gone wrong?
We had a good laugh about it later. After all, leave it to me to find the only patch of ice on our route! I tried to call it my first official “fall” since taking up horseback riding anew, but they wouldn’t let me. They informed me that I hadn’t fallen, rather my horse had fallen. I had simply done a “quick dismount–really close to the ground”!
Believe me, I was praising God that neither I nor my horse were hurt. And when I realized that my solid bed was really a snow-covered frozen ditch that would normally have been full of icy water, I spent a moment thanking God for ice! Otherwise, the rest of the ride back to the farm might have been just a little bit on the chilly side . . .
As I think back on this incident, it occurs to me that I had been totally dependent upon my trusty steed, and he let me down. Literally! Friends, there are so many things that we try to depend upon in life. Some of us depend upon ourselves, our spouses, our jobs, money, our kids, friends, alcohol, drugs, or a myriad of other things. And as we ride along through life on our “trusty steeds”, we can’t help but feel just a little bit invincible. But there will be some point in our lives when, like the trusty thoroughbred I was riding, whatever it is you are leaning upon will go down.
The good news is this: When we rely upon Jesus, the Solid Rock, we can rest assured that we will never find ourselves wiping snow from our eyes in an ice-filled ditch! Instead, we will ride right over that patch of ice, for our Deliverer, the One we depend upon, will never slip, will never slumber, will never ever fail us! “He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Ps 121:3-4 NIV)
And how can we rely on this “Solid Rock”, Jesus Christ?
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matt 7:24-25 NIV)
When you build your life on the solid foundation of God’s Word, you will NEVER find yourself doing a “quick dismount really low to the ground”!
Who are you depending upon, friends? A mighty black thoroughbred? Or on the solid rock, Jesus Christ?
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, Mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org , with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org