It's Not Fun to be a Horse

My heart is in anguish.
The terror of death overpowers me.
Fear and trembling overwhelm me.
I can't stop shaking.
Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove;
then I would fly away and rest! Psalm 55:4-6

It’s not fun to be a horse. At least, not always. There are some times when it is great to be a horse. Travis the horse spends his summer day in the pasture, sun on his back, shady trees for the heat of the day. There’s a brook of cool water for a drink and sweet grass for a snack. And there’s this person who brings grain every morning, and provides a new pasture when the grass is all eaten.

But we’re in the middle of a big storm. It’s cold and rainy. The whole pasture is mud covered with sloppy snow. The wind blows cold rain up under his fur and icicles hang off his sides. So I put Travis in the barn and now he’s mad. He whinnies when I leave and looks longingly out the door. He doesn’t like the stall. It’s a nice stall, with a dry floor and out of the wind. But Travis remembers the summer pasture, green and warm, with lots of room and a sandy place to roll. He’d like to go out there and I won’t let him.

Travis forgets the storm. It’s just above freezing. The rain has soaked the snow and the mud underneath is ankle deep. There is no grass. The brook is frozen. Travis can look out the barn door and see all this. He’s still mad and wants me to let him out of the stall. But he’s in the stall for protection from the storm. It’s not as nice as a summer pasture, but it’s better than the storm. When the storm clears, I’ll let him out.

God protects us, too. He brings us into shelter, and we long for the summer grass, not seeing the storm that rages outside. We too, get mad, and complain about the shelter God provides. But we’re in the shelter for a reason. If we didn’t have shelter, we’d be in the storm.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
whose thoughts are fixed on you! Is 26:3