Tamed and Trained for God’s Pleasure and Service

Today, I’ll be sharing about one of my favorite animals.  Though I’ve only ridden one twice in my life, I enjoy learning about horses.  I like reading true stories or seeing movies about them.  I like collecting art that features horses.  On occasion, I go to rodeos.  Before I go on, let’s open the Treasure Box.

 Here is one of my favorite art pieces.  It is called The SAGUARO STALLION PAINTED PONY, a 6-inch tall horse made of solid resin (resin is the liquid from certain plants that can be used to make a type of hard, heavy plastic).  The artist, John Geryak, painted it for the now famous Trail of Painted Ponies Art Exhibit in New Mexico.  Mr. Geryak, who lives in Arizona, painted a lovely desert scene of a moonrise and sunrise on a field of saguaro cacti that covers the entire body of the horse.

The SAGUARO STALLION PAINTED PONY

This horse is a lovely work of art, but that’s not why it is in my treasure box.  The real treasure is what it will teach us today—being TAMED and TRAINED for God’s pleasure and service.  Horses are magnificent animals. I admire their temperament with people and the many things they can be trained to do—as race horses, pets, or helpers on the farm, even for battle.  Until the last hundred years, horses had been used for war.  Today, we have powered machines like tanks to do the job horses used to do.  But, think about it.  What other animal would so bravely face lances, swords, arrows, cannons, bullets—and not run away?  Unless they are a special breed that can trained by experts, a dog will run away, a cat will hide, and a bird will soar out of reach to escape.  But, a horse seems oblivious to fear, even to battle sounds.

In Job 39:19-25, God describes the war horse and asks,

“Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane?  Do you make him leap like the locust?  His majestic snorting is terrible.  He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons.   He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; and he does not turn back from the sword.  The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and javelin. With shaking and rage he races over the ground, and he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.  As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!'  And he scents the battle from afar, and the thunder of the captains and the war cry.”

It sounds as if the horse is eager to enter the battle, but he waits for the command.  And, that takes training!  What a difference between a bridled, saddled, tamed and trained horse and a bustin’ bronco (a wild horse that hasn’t been ‘broken in’).  God made horses for pleasure and service.  But, this requires training because horses are wild creatures and wild horses may be pretty to look at, but they are not useful.

It is the TRAINED HORSE that so valuable. I want to tell you a story about one horse that no one expected would ever amount to much, least of all becoming a world champion race horse.  His name was Seabiscuit.  He was a pedigree, a son of thoroughbred race horses, but, in his early years, he resisted training and was
useless. 

Seabiscuit was born in the 1930s during a time known as the Great Depression.  In one of our previous visits, I remember sharing with you about how the Stock Market Crash affected the lives of people all over the world, including millions of Americans when they lost everything—jobs, houses, property, savings.  I recall my own parents describing those days as desperate people waiting in long lines to receive food and clothing. Some didn’t have homes to go to and were forced to stay in cramped shelters.  It was a sad time, indeed. It was during these years that Sea Biscuit became a symbol of hope to millions of Americans.

Seabiscuit was the son of the famous race horse, Hard Tack, and grandson of Man O' War who ranks as #1 in the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century.  Seabiscuit, a bay colt, was undersized, knobby-kneed, and not much to look at, and spent most of his time sleeping and eating. He was generally lazy, but his owners knew he came from good stock and believed he could be a great racehorse, so when he was old enough, they entered him in small races.  But, in nearly every race, he came in last.  People began to make jokes about him.  At the end of the racing season, he was used as a work horse.  Finally, in his fourth year, his owners sold him to a wealthy car owner named Charles Howard.

Mr. Howard had a trainer named Tom Smith who understood horses, especially Sea Biscuit  In time, under Mr. Smith’s careful training, Seabiscuit was no longer lazy.  He began to win races.  In one race, Seabiscuit nearly broke the world’s record.  People who lived in the western side of United States regarded Seabiscuit as a hero, but those who lived on the Eastern side weren’t impressed. They had their own champion horse, three-year-old War Admiral that had won the Triple Crown (highest award) in 1936. Throughout 1937 and '38, people hoped for a race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral. And, it finally took place in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 1, 1938.  Forty thousand fans filled the grand stands, and another 40 million fans were listening on their radios. Of course, War Admiral was favored to win. At the beginning, Seabiscuit was ahead, but, soon, War Admiral moved in to take the lead. Then, Sea Biscuit’s jockey let his horse see his rival War Admiral up close, eye-to-eye.  That was a wise move because of the effect it had on Seabiscuit. He immediately pulled ahead of War Admiral and won by four lengths.  His race record and victory over War Admiral earned him the title "Horse of the Year" for 1938.

War Admiral	Sea biscuit
Seabiscuit—the New Triple-Crown Winner, 1938	Seabiscuit is retired at Ridgewood Ranch, Willits, California 1940.
	Photo, left:  Santa Anita Park, California—A life-sized, bronze-statue of Seabiscuit  (The photo above was taken in 1942 and shows a  Japanese-American woman, Lily Okuru, posing with Seabiscuit’s statue)

The Bible speaks a lot about horses.  God says that without training, the horse is a wild and unruly beast.  Pro 26:3  says,

“A whip is for the (ill-mannered, untamed) horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.”

When Seabiscuit was under the care of poor trainers, he was stubborn, lazy, and good for nothing. 

Zec 10:3 says that the Lord puts into His people the spirit and heart of a horse.  But, Children, you must understand that God’s horses are easily LED. They have been trained to follow and to obey.  God leads them and trains them for His pleasure, for His service, for His Battles; He makes them unafraid to meet the enemy.  Hear what the Bible says,

“…For the LORD of hosts has visited His [people]… and will make them like His majestic horse in battle.”

The Lord Himself is our trainer.  In, Psa 32:8-9, the Lord says,

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.   Do not be as the (untamed, ill-mannered) horse or…mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will  not come near to you.”

Children, we need to be trained with the bit and bridle until we are brought into obedience.  A well-trained horse no longer needs a bit and bridle or a whip—when the trainer calls him, he comes.  Even so, when our Master calls, we will answer, “Yes, Lord, here I am.” 

The Lord wants us to be teachable—that means, we must be willing to learn His way.  He is not impressed with our abilities or that we say ‘I can do it myself’.  That’s the sound of a wild horse.  It says in Psa 147:10-11  that

“[God] does not delight in the strength of the horse ; nor does he]  take pleasure in the legs of a man.  The LORD favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His loving kindness.”  

How good it is to be trained by the Lord, to learn how to WAIT on the Lord—to observe Him carefully so we know when it is the right time to move.  Like a trainer that guides a trained horse simply by his word of command, God is able do the same with us. Only when we have been trained so perfectly are we truly ready for service or for battle. 

Did you know that the Lord has a horse?  Rev 19:11 says He sits on a white horse!  (You can bet that horse is trained!)  The Lord is prepared for war against His enemies.  Verse 14 declares that those who are with Him in heaven will ride white horses, too!  How exciting!  Listen to this…

“And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.” 

And, now, Children, I want to ask each one of you—what kind of a horse are you?  Will you let the Holy Spirit train you and lead you into the right path?  Will you allow Him to put the bit in your mouth, the bridle around your neck, and the saddle on your back until you learn how to obey Him?  You know, He loves you very much, and He disciplines and trains those He loves.  And, my goodness, what magnificent creatures trained horses are!  If you ever have an opportunity, go to a rodeo and watch the marvelous actions of a trained horse!