Pastor’s Corner: “Unbridled Faith”
Psalm 32:8-9 (NIV) – 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
Being likened to a mule isn’t exactly a compliment. Horses and mules have never been famous for their cooperative spirit. We have all know stories of horses bolting and throwing their riders and mules are just as headstrong and stubborn. You can push them, pull them, dangle carrots in front of them, but if they don’t want to move, they simply won’t go.
I recently read a story of a farmer who had a mule named Pete. Pete was both strong and headstrong. One day, which happened to be manure hauling day, Pete decided he no longer liked his ears touched. This caused problems putting on his halter and bridle. He developed some escape routes which included trying to run the Farmer over; thankfully this wasn’t the Farmer’s first rodeo.
Thankfully, God relates to mules too. He’s familiar with beasts that charge and beasts that avoid. But did you pick up on the hint? This scripture is talking about us. Often, we’re no different than mules. It’s not God’s plan to drag us around with a bit and bridle. That’s how animals with no understanding need to be led. God wants to instruct, teach, and counsel us from within by His Holy Spirit.
What is the context of this Psalms? Psalm 32 (NLT) 1 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
This is the mule-ish like behavior in view: Refusing to come and confess to the one who freely forgives. Staying away from God when we sin is irrational-without understanding. Because confessing to the God who already knows and freely forgives is one of the most joyful things we can ever do. The way to be happy and blessed is to go and confess.
Sometimes it is the bit of affliction and the bridle of suffering that makes us come to Him. Or, to borrow David’s words, to stay near him. Quote from C.H. Spurgeon: We should not be treated like mules if there was not so much ass about us. Oh, for grace to obey the Lord willingly! Ouch….and amen.
Why Mule-ish Is Foolish. The mule stays silent and far away from the Master. Mules need pressure applied to come to the master. They must be curbed with bit and bridle. That’s why God’s hand feels heavy on us sometimes. This is what the Lord is saying: I put pressure on you when you were sinning and neglecting me, so that you’d come back to me. But I wish you’d just come freely. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.
A serious attempt to repent and to really know one’s own sin is in the long run a lightening and relieving process. In fact, isn’t being forgiven about the most lightening and relieving, soul-healing and refreshing gift a sinful soul can ever receive? Acts 3: 19-20: Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins mat be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Repentance brings refreshment!
The way not to be a mule is to come to God in prayer, to confess our sins, and to accept his direction. Some people hold back from yielding their lives to the Lord because they are afraid he might demand more of them than they are willing to give. Following God’s plan is never a drag; it is always our highest joy and pleasure. Resisting God’s will is a sure road to misery, but surrender brings happiness and delight.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton