A Picture of Meekness

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As a horse owner, I’ve always been inspired by those horse trainers who can lead and direct their horses around them with no halter or lead line, just by a signal with their hand or tip of a shoulder.  The most thrilling thing of all is to watch a horseman or horsewoman ride their horse bridleless at a full gallop, skid to a sliding stop, and spin on a dime; horse and rider working as one.  Something I aspire to get close to accomplishing with a horse one day.

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Seeing the potential of a horse working willingly with a human without even a bit or bridle caused me to wonder at the verse in Psalms 32:9 that says, “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit or bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”  When I read that I would wonder, "What about those horses that can be controlled without it?"  Then I read something someone had written on the topic of submission to God’s will.  First, we must consider the verse before it that says, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go.  I will guide thee with mine eye.”

      Guide thee with mine eye? What did God mean by that?  Someone explained it this way:  Have you ever watched a parent with their child?  A parent, who is consistent in their discipline and has the respect and attention of their child, can reprove or approve the child with just a look.  This is what God is talking about.  He wants us to know Him and be submitted to His will so much that it won’t take much for us to respond.  It requires a meek spirit.

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     On the other hand, if a person is just learning God’s ways and has a tendency still to rebel, not having yielded himself fully to the will of God, he will experience God’s discipline.  It is like a young horse who is learning to be ridden.  It has not fully learned to be attentive to the riders subtle cues so must be “reigned in” and held back with the bridle to keep him from running away. 

     The trainer of that bridleless horse would tell you that their horse wasn’t always that way.  It started out with a saddle and bridle and I wouldn’t be surprised if that horseman didn’t hit the ground a few times due to that horse challenging their authority.  But as that horse learned to trust its master and saw that his will was best, the bridle was no longer needed.  So the illustration God used is accurate and the thrilling picture of the rider on the bareback bridleless horse does not defy what God is teaching in this verse, but rather is a beautiful picture of what it looks like to be sensitive and submitted to the Master’s will.

   How often am I like a young horse learning to obey?  Sometimes I really feel like bucking the system, or rearing in fear, or pawing in frustration.

Daily, as I learn to trust my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, I realize His way is best and I choose to humble myself, submitting to His will instead of mine.  I learn to trust Him in the new and unfamiliar situations He places me in.  As I learn to love Him, I see the people He has placed in my life as opportunities to demonstrate the changes He has made in my life and the love that I have for Him.