This has become our verse for #CornerstoneHorsemanship. Have you ever thought about it? The horse is made ready for the day of battle....
In ancient times horses were war machines; only kings and the richest noblemen owned them and owning a horse was equivalent to owning a tank in today's standard. The one who had the most horses and chariots had the strongest army. Every thing we do with a horse today all ties back to the original training of the war horse. The Spanish Riding School still keeps the full training of the war horse alive today. That was the training that went into the war horses and every maneuver is designed to be used in war. Think about all the time that is spent in training those beautiful white Lipizzaner horses; that is what 'the horse is made ready for the day of battle' means.
Yet that is not what wins the war. "But the victory rests with the Lord." It is saying that no matter how much we work and plan and prepare, the victory still rests with the Lord. I think of all the battles that should have been won by the biggest and strongest army, yet they went home defeated. The Israelites conquered Jerico in the book of Joshua and also went on to claim the entire land of Cannan as the Lord promised.
The most fierce army of the time, the Assyrians, came against King Hezekiah and Jerusalem threatening to destroy them as they had destroyed all of the other kingdoms around them, including the northern tribes of Israel. Hezekiah had prepared the city for battle and his men and when they went up to meet them in battle they found the entire Assyrian army dead from a plague. You can read the amazing story in 2 Kings 19.
Let's come to a little more recent history, our own history. In 1776 we decided we had enough of meeting the King of England's demands and stood up for our God given rights. It was not an easy decision because at that time England's army was the biggest, strongest, and had not been defeated. We didn't even have an organized army as we had been under the protection of the King's army, but when they turned on us when we said, "no more," it was a death sentence. When we read the original documents of the founding father's they say repeatedly it was by God's providence that we won. It was not without cost on our end, but it was the hand of God that got a "bunch of farmers" to be able to put the King's army in their place.
The victory surely belongs to the Lord. What battle are you fighting? What are you struggling with in your life? Have you sought the Lord's council? Have you asked for His help? Have you tried fighting using His methods?
I can tell you it is worth it. Resting in Him, in His promises bring peace, joy, contentment, and everything else we desire in life and it is lasting and not fleeting. I have even seen an improvement in my horsemanship skills understanding the Lord and His ways better. Seeing the horse as us and our role with the horse similar to the Lord's role in our lives, I think about how He deals with us and it gives me more wisdom and patience to work with the horse.
My horsemanship really improved after I spent close to a year looking up the horse in the scriptures and I truly understood the horse, its purpose, and how amazing it is. The horse is unlike any other animal on the earth and I am blessed to be able to work with them every day, teach others how to work with them, and help strengthen other's walk with the Lord using them.