If you have ever had a connection with an animal, you know it goes deeper than a “you feed me, in return I’m cute and fuzzy” symbiosis. In the horse world, we often rely on our horses for more than just emotional support; although, they frequently also fill the therapist role. Many horses are still used for practical purposes such as ranch work, but even recreational riders can feel like they entrust their horses with their lives every time they climb in the saddle. This naturally lends itself to a deeper comradery than one might get from a cat or guinea pig, regardless of the degree of fluffiness. Still, those of us who experience the “more” of really connecting with an animal know it goes beyond that. We may feel silly attempting to explain it to someone else. It feels existential, mystical, and a bit ridiculous. What if I told you that those connections offer us a glimpse of Eden, of Heaven, and of God. Trust me, I am currently feeling the same way many of you have when describing a special moment with an animal to someone else, a bit like a whacko. Hear me out. I will start in Genesis.
The Garden: Genesis 1:24-28
In the beginning, God created light, the expanse between sea and sky, gathered the waters, separated day from night, filled the sea and sky with living creatures, filled the earth with living creatures, and then created mankind. The creation of the animals prompted God to create someone to rule over them. God’s mandate to man was simple, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
God gives man the same mandate he gives the animals, (“Be fruitful and multiply…”) but includes the command to rule over them. From the beginning, man and beast were meant to work together, “…and it was good.”
The New Heavens and New Earth: Isaiah 65
Isaiah prophecies of a new heaven and new earth in which “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together.” This peaceful scene is also mentioned in Isaiah 11, and the new heaven and new earth are mentioned in the New Testament in 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1. This beautiful prophecy almost reads like poetry. A picture of predator and prey dwelling together in harmony “and a little child will lead them.” In God’s recreation of the world in which “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”, man and animals live in harmony, and a young child is able to lead a lion.
If you have ever been a young child at a barn or been the adult in charge of a child around horses, you know only the gentlest of creatures are nominated to be led by a child. I can count on one hand the few horses (let’s be honest, usually an old gelding) whose lead rope you could hand to a two-year-old and never feel the need to look back. You just knew that horse would take care of the child. Imagine handing a child a lead rope attached to a lion and feeling that same peace. Whether this is poetic or literal, I think we can understand the image the Lord is painting. All fear is removed on both sides. Why do horses require hours upon hours of desensitizing before they allow us to do anything to them confidently? Fear. Why do we feel the need to do weeks upon weeks of groundwork with a horse before we trust them under saddle? Fear. What is different about this new heaven and new earth that brings so much peace? “…the knowledge of the Lord…” that fills the earth as the waters cover the sea.
The Peace of God: Luke 19:28-40, 45-48)
In this passage we see Jesus mount an unbroken colt and ride it through the days equivalent of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. When we consider the fully God character of Jesus, this does not strike us as abnormal. When we remember the fully man character of Jesus, we want to say, “Teach me your ways!” While I am being funny (or at least I think so), that is the proper response to what Jesus did. Dr. Timothy Keller in his teaching on the passage said, “Jesus heals the colt of its fear.” He quotes another commentator who said, “…an unbroken animal remains calm under the hands of the one who also calmed the sea.” Obviously, Jesus’ point was not to show us the secret to breaking a colt in two seconds. His purpose (at least one of them) was to show us the peace that comes with the knowledge that God is in the saddle.
Past, Future, and Present Peace
When we connect with an animal, when we come to an understanding with them void of fear, we have glimpsed what God proclaimed to be good in the garden, what He plans for the new heaven and new earth, and what he desires to offer us today. God longs for us to allow Him to be in the saddle, to show us the peace that is possible when we are filled with the knowledge of the Lord.
Have you ever stopped a ride or a training session with your horse just to beg them to trust you because your intentions are good? Just think on that for a bit.