If you have not read part one of this post, I highly recommend going back and reading it. In it you will read about a young gelding who was instrumental in reminding me that what is good for us is not always comfortable. The primary behavior his owner wanted me to address was that when he was ridden away from his pasture-mates he could not walk in a straight line. Everything in him wanted to turn around and go back to where he was more comfortable.
Let Your Requests be Made Known to God
Mark Rashid wrote in one of his books something along the lines of “A horse’s behavior is not good or bad, it is simply information”. That, of course, immediately reminded me of something my mom said to me, “Emotions are not the enemy, they are just information”.
I have always preferred to approach situations from an intellectual perspective rather than an emotional one. My mom was hoping to encourage me to use my emotions as data as I worked through a situation. I did not fully understand that until I started working with horses. Horses do not fake emotions. Their reaction to any situation is genuine. I think that is why so many humans seek out equine company, and it is one of the many lessons we can learn from them. Although the behavior of the young gelding that I spoke about in part one was undesirable, he was honest. He was making his opinion known.
In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul writes, “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
When the horse made his requests known to me, my immediate reaction was to label the behavior as “bad”. This, naturally, triggered some undesirable emotions of my own. It wasn’t until the Lord pointed out the similarities between me and the young horse that I was able to be compassionate. When we make our requests known to God, however, we know we are speaking to one who is no stranger to suffering and needs no reminder. When I recognized what the gelding’s behaviors were telling me, I did not turn him around and let him go back to his friends; that would not have been to his benefit. Instead, despite how difficult he perceived my direction to be, I encouraged him to continue. In the end he was better for it.
Emotions are not the Enemy
In my humble opinion, I think the American church lacks much emotion. Some may disagree, but my personal experience gave me the impression that the only emotion accepted within the walls of the church was joy. There may seem to be an abundance of joy in the typical church setting, but anyone who is human knows there is more to the emotional spectrum than that. What, then, do we do when we find ourselves in the “wilderness”, feeling things that are far from something we would call joy? Feelings that make us want to turn around and find another path that hurts less. Might I suggest, turn to the examples of scripture.
Scripture is full of models of men and women expressing deep emotions. Job is well known for his emotional outcry. In chapter 16 verse 15 we read, “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin and buried my brow in the dust. My face is red with weeping, dark shadows ring my eyes…”. Many times throughout the book of Job he says that it would be better if he had never been born. These are the cries of a man who has lost everything he held dear. Yet, notice who he is crying out to. It is to the God whom he knows is ruler of all, and thus considers to be at the helm of his life, even in the devastation he found himself in.
Elijah approached the Lord in a similar way in 1 Kings 19:4, “…He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said.” Elijah had been threatened, Jezebel was after him, and he was at his emotional end. All he could think to do was to get alone with God and cry out to Him. Like Job, he does not blame anyone else (even himself) for the situation he was in. He recognized that God was still in control and even in His pain gave his life over to him.
The psalms, being largely poems and songs, are full of emotion. In Psalm 22 we read, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish.” Ultimately, that verse would be quoted by Jesus on the cross; the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).
All these men had companions they could have leaned on. Job had his three friends (who evoke some negative emotions in many of us, I’m sure). Elijah had his servant whom he left in Beersheba. David was the king for crying out loud! Anyone would have been overjoyed to be taken into his confidence. Yet, all three sought solitude and cried out to the Lord. They SOUGHT the Lord. They did not strut up and say, “Listen, God of the universe, here’s how it ought to be.” They offered their time and attention in the presence of the Lord and trusted themselves and their circumstances to Him.
Powerful, Gentle, Caring
Often, when I look to scripture for guidance, I will see how God responded to a situation that I consider similar to my own and expect the same response in my life. However, when we look at multiple examples it becomes clear that God never handles situations the same way twice. C.S. Lewis wrote in his incredibly profound children’s book, The Horse and His Boy, “’Child,’ said the Lion, ‘I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.’”
When Job came to God and said, “Why did I not perish at birth, or die as I came from the womb?” (Job 3:11) The Lords response was, “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earths foundation?” He goes on, asking Job, in essence, who are you to question me?
In sharp contrast, when Elijah said, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life…”, he then lay down and fell asleep. Then, “All at once an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’” After he had slept a little while longer, “The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.’”
I know, personally, I would prefer the Elijah treatment, but as we have said, what is necessary is not always comfortable. In the past, when I cried out to the Lord, I did not always receive a response. That is when I would take notes from the songs of David. In Psalm 22 David writes, “My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet, you are enthroned as the Holy One…”. Speaking to our souls and reminding ourselves of the power displayed to Job, along with the gentleness shown to Elijah, can be one of our most powerful tools. David wrote, “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say, ‘let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” He wrote this as a means of expressing his own pain, not realizing that one day his own people would jeer at Jesus upon the cross using these very words. I guess all I have to say is, if He would die for you like that, how could He not care for you? So, don’t look back, you’re not going that way. And the way you are going is led by the One who is powerful, and gentle, and cares for you more than you could ever understand.