Daily Devotional

Lynette and I moved to Montana in 1980, when I became the pastor of a small Baptist church in a town of 100 people.  God was teaching me a lot about myself and my need to totally depend on His leadership in my life.  I would guess you would say the Lord was in the refining process as He patiently worked with me so that I might become more like Christ.

In the fall, one of the men in the church asked me if I would like to go bow hunting with him up in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.  He had a bow hunting permit for an elk and a bear.  He wanted to see if he could kill a bear with his bow but packed along a 45-caliber pistol just in case the bow was not enough.  

We rode by horseback about 14 miles back into the Bob Marshall Wilderness.  For a farm kid who had little experience on a horse, it was quite a ride.  It was September, so the fall colors were showing, and the mountain scenery was phenomenal.  I remember setting up camp and I was asked where I wanted to sleep in the tent.  I told my friend he could sleep by the door in case a bear tried to get in, but he told me grizzlies don’t use doors.  That was my first opportunity to trust the Lord on that trip and it did change my prayers as I went to sleep each night.  

One day we hunted all day without much luck and toward the late afternoon we went to an area where elk often would feed.  A bull elk began to bugle when he heard us, thinking we might be another bull elk.  I had never heard an elk bugle before, and my friend used his best elk bugling technique to call the elk closer.  The conversation was quite interesting, as the elk came closer.  Suddenly, there was no more response from the elk.  We waited awhile but the elk realized danger and had left.  

By this time, it was getting dark.  So, I asked my friend, “We are out here in the middle of this vast wilderness in the dark, how do we find our way back to camp?”  He told me the horses were tied in this general direction, and when we get close to them, they will start making noise so we could find them.  Well sure enough, we found the horses just as he said.  I untied my horse and got on to make our way back to camp.  I asked my friend a second question, “How do we direct the horses back to camp?  I have no idea where we are!”  He told me something that has stuck with me to this very day.  “Just give the horses the reins and they will take us back to camp.”  I had to give up control in order to let a horse take me back to camp!  That became a very real-life lesson.  Through that incident, God has spoken into my life and shown me how often I want to control things.  God that day showed me how frequently I try to keep control in my life.  When I hold on tightly so that everything works out the way I want it to, in those times I need to give God control.  I need to give God the reins to take me where I need to go.

I am reminded of a familiar passage of Scripture, Proverbs 3:5–6 (NASB).  These verses are often quoted but are usually ignored when life situations become difficult.  “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”   When life seems to be getting out of control, instead of running in circles trying to find a way out, we need to stop and orient ourselves.  We don’t need to know all the answers, we need to “trust” the God Who has the answers and knows what is best.  To trust is to have complete confidence in our God.  That night in the Bob Marshall Wilderness when I got on my horse, I had one of two choices to make.  I could try to make my way back to camp on my own, which was destined to fail, or I could trust a horse who knew the way.  That night God reminded me that my understanding in that situation was very limited.  I had to trust something other than myself.  God will often remind us that in life we need to trust Him.  It can’t be a half-hearted trust but a trust that is all in.  We need to trust God with all our hearts.  A trust that leads us to completely surrender to the Lord’s will and leading.

Today we need to acknowledge God’s control in our lives.  Every waking moment, we are constantly making decisions.  Those decisions need to be made under the Lord’s leading and guidance.  He is taking us deeper into a relationship with Him.  When we yield to God’s lordship in our lives, He will direct us where we need to go and “make our paths straight.”  God sees the big picture for our lives, and He knows what is best.  Instead of resisting, we need to submit to the Lord.  That night out in the great expanse of God’s creation, I gave the reins to a horse that led me on a straight path to our camp.  Today God is asking us to give Him the reins and not lean on our own understanding or ingenuity.  That is the only way to grow deeply in our relationship with Him.

Prayer:  Lord, I acknowledge that often I try to control the circumstances and everything around me.  You have asked me to trust You with all my heart.  Today I want to take another step in my relationship with You and to trust You at a deeper level.  Thank you that You are there to patiently guide me in that process.  Amen  

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