The Harness of the LORD by Bill Britton
On a dirt road in the middle of a wide field stood the King’s carriage, edged in gold, with beautifully carved accoutrements. It was pulled by six large horses, two in the lead, two in the middle, and two in the rear. But the horses were not moving; they were not pulling the carriage, and I wondered why.
Then I saw the driver underneath the carriage, on the ground on his back, just behind the last two horses’ hooves, working on something between the front wheels of the carriage. I thought, “My, he’s in a dangerous place. If one of the horses kicks or steps back, it could kill him. Or if they decided to go forward, or got frightened somehow, they could pull the carriage right over him.”
But he didn’t seem afraid, for he knew that the horses were disciplined and would not move until he told them to move. The horses were neither stamping their hooves nor acting restless. There were bells on their hooves, but they were not tinkling. There were pom-poms on their heads, but the pom-poms were not moving. They were simply standing still and quiet, waiting for the voice of the King.
As I watched the harnessed horses, I noticed two young colts coming out onto the open field next to the dirt road. They approached the carriage and seemed to say to the King’s horses: “Come and play with us. We have many fine games. We will race with you. Come catch us…” And with that, the colts kicked up their hooves, flicked their tails, and raced across the open field.
But when they looked back and saw the harnessed horses were not following, they were puzzled. Again, the Colts called to them: “Why do you stand so in the hot sun? Come over here in the shade. See how green the grass is? You must be hungry. Come and feed with us. It is so abundant, so green, and so good. You look thirsty. Come drink from one of the many streams of cool water.” But the horses didn’t reply or respond in any way.
The Colts knew nothing of harnesses and could not understand why these horses did not respond. The Colts again called to the horses, but they did not answer. Neither did they stamp their feet nor toss their head in response. They stood quiet and still, waiting for the voice of their King.
The scene changed. I saw lariats fall around the necks of the two colts, and they were led off to the King’s corral for training and discipline. How sad they were as the lovely green fields disappeared, and they were put into the confinement of the corral with its brown dirt and high fence. The colts ran from fence to fence, seeking freedom, but found that they were confined to this place of training. And then the Trainer began to work with them, with his whip and his bridle. How difficult it was for those who had been accustomed to such “freedom” all their lives.
The Colts could not understand the reason for this “torture” and discipline. What great crime had they done to deserve this? Little did they know of the responsibility that was to be theirs when they had submitted to the discipline and finished their training, learning to perfectly obey their Trainer. All they knew was that this training was the most horrible thing they had ever known.
One of the colts rebelled during the training and said, “This is not for me. I like my freedom, green hills, and flowing streams of fresh water. I will not take any more of this confinement, this terrible discipline.” So he found a way out, jumped the fence and ran happily back to the grass meadows. And I was astonished that the Trainer let him go, and did not go after him. He devoted his attention to the remaining colt.
Meditation: Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. – Psalm 32:9
Jesus Loves You!
Also read:
- Open, Shut
- Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
- The Benefits of Wisdom: Preservation and Safekeeping (2)
- Principles from God
- I Stood In The Cabin Holding On To The Gospel
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