Grandy was a beautiful horse and quite well behaved. It was a good thing he was, because I had very little horse-riding experience before the day I went riding along with several other riders who were more experienced. All went well for about an hour as I followed at a distance . . . until we crossed a bridge with water flowing underneath. Suddenly the horse became uneasy and began to balk. Sam yelled to me, “Get him away from the edge of the bridge! He’s afraid of water!”
After crossing the bridge, we had to go down an embankment at the edge of the road and cross a drainage ditch which had about six inches of water in it. Every time I steered Grandy toward the embankment, he would veer around or back up. He refused to go ahead. Traffic on the road had to stop as I dismounted and proceeded to lead him by the halter down the embankment.
As I reached the bottom and started through the water, the horse moved his head in behind me and shoved ahead, leaping over the water and sending me head over heels into the brush on the other side of the water. Sam, the horse’s owner, had been watching and coaching me as all this happened. Other than not being sure of what had happened, I was unhurt and picked myself up, while Sam, realizing I was just shaken up, found the whole thing quite funny.
After a rough ride through woodland paths, we came to a large, deep, watery area which could only spell trouble for Grandy and me. Sam instructed me to bring Grandy up close to Scamp, the horse he was riding. Scamp and Grandy were good friends.
“Let his head rest on Scamp’s rump,” Sam instructed, “and follow closely like that, right through the water.”
To my surprise, Grandy crossed over the watery area without any sign of fear. I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it! The rest of the ride was uneventful, other than my being saddle-sore from a first, long ride.
Scamp leading Grandy reminds me of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd. . . . He leadeth me beside the still waters. . . . Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.”
How good it is to have Jesus as your Shepherd and your Friend. He said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:1111I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)). He continues on: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:2728).
Do you know Jesus as your Shepherd? He laid down His life for you because He loves you. What a friend Jesus is! Claim Him as your Saviour, and He will never leave you nor forsake you, so that you “may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:66So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:6)). What a Saviour! And He is even more - a Shepherd, a Friend and a Helper.
The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:66But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)). Can a boy or girl have faith? Do you think you have faith? Maybe you think you have NO faith at all, but you might be surprised to know that every one of us has faith. When you sit on a chair, you have faith that it won’t collapse under you. When you cross a bridge, you have faith that the bridge will bear your weight and you will cross it safely.
I will tell you of one bridge in which I had no faith at all. It was at the seacoast, not far from where I grew up.
The fishermen had to cross from the mainland to a small island, so a rope bridge was constructed over a deep chasm where the sea crashed on the rocks below. This rope bridge was not a strong-looking structure. It swung in the breeze and wobbled and swayed if you set foot on it. But the fishermen learned to use it, and they trusted it to carry them across between the mainland and the island.
I had no faith in that rope bridge at all. I was sure the ropes would either break or it would sway so much I would fall off, so I never went across. However, when we visited the area this year, I saw that the whole structure had been made over. Now strong, thick ropes were well knotted together and held it firmly, and wide planks had been laid down to walk on. So when I looked at this new rope bridge, I had faith in it immediately, and I walked safely across to the island.
But when it comes to where you will spend eternity, it is most important that your faith is firm in what is truth and not just myth or legend. You have to be sure that you are not simply believing what other people say. You need a trustworthy “bridge” to cross from earth to heaven when your life here on earth is over. That trustworthy bridge is the Saviour.
Jesus Christ was the only perfect man who ever lived. He said He came from God and went back to God. He also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)).
We can trust the word of Jesus who had all the power of God and who rose from the dead and is now alive in heaven. He also said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:3131Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Mark 13:31)). The Bible has proven itself to be the very Word of God. It says about the Lord Jesus, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)). The name Jesus means “Saviour,” and no other religion has a Saviour who gave His life that poor sinners might be saved. He is the One I can safely put my faith in. And every boy or girl or grown-up whose faith rests in Him for eternal life can be sure that He will be far more trustworthy than the strong, new rope bridge.
ML-02/26/2006