Our family owned Belgian draft horses while living in Tennessee. Dealing with them is one of the things we miss most while living in Denver. Our family enjoys horse-drawn hayrides, plowing with horses, showing them at fairs, horse pulls, and caring for them daily. There are a lot of great lessons to be learned from horses, including some spiritual lessons we see outlined in God’s word. Good old-fashioned “horse sense” can help us a lot as we try to live for the Lord!
Horse sense teaches us little things can be powerful. Belgians are the largest horses on the plant. My boys – even when little – could command horses that each weighed 2000 pounds. That’s right! 4000 pounds of horse muscle could be controlled with a small bit in each mare’s mouth. James 3:3 reminds us our tongue is equally as small and powerful. We should watch the words we say! The words we say can be a powerful instrument for good or bad. If we use a little horse sense, we will, as the children sing, “be careful little mouth what you say.”
Horse sense teaches us where true strength originates. When questioning Job, God asks if he knew where the horse got its strength (39:19). The Psalmist reminds us the horse’s strength is nothing to count on (33:17). Far too often we try to handle things on our own and rely on ourselves. Solomon reminds us that power and victory come from the Lord (Proverbs 21:31). If we use good horse sense, we will trust in the Lord and lean on His strength, not our own.
Horse sense teaches us we should not look back. We would plow with our horses in our garden and at several plow days. To cultivate the ground properly, you must keep focused on where you are at and where you are going. Distractedly looking around produces crooked rows or worse. In Luke 9:62, Jesus said once we go to work plowing for Him, we must also stay focused on where we are and where we are going. It takes only a moment of getting distracted by the world before we are heading down a crooked path. If we use a little horse sense, we will realize that we should stay focused on living a Christian life.
Good old fashioned horse sense helps illustrate some essential lessons from God’s word. However, horse sense and the Bible are both of value only when we use them! Whether or not we plow with horses or ride in a wagon is of little importance. However, remembering the spiritual lessons horses can teach will benefit us eternally!
Corey Sawyers