Stick Horse Faith

“But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure Him.”  Hebrews. 10:38.

Hey Gang:  As a young lad, I owned a stick horse and loved to ride around the house on this make-believe beast. After I had bugged my mom to the point where she could no longer tolerate my laps around the furniture, she would counsel me (“threaten” might be a better word) to tie old ‘Dobbin’ up for a spell.  This I would do with the same tender loving care that I had seen others cowboys tie up their steeds.

As I think back on those days of bliss, for it was a time of great joy with very little in the areas of responsibility demands,  I was on top of the world when on my stallion. I now realize, if others were watching me, they would not think it was much of a feat to control that stick rescued from the fire bin.  In reality the horse was nothing more than an inanimate object and was totally dependent on my creativity and energy.

Now what does that have to do with faith?  First, we have to come to the realization where we believe that Faith is as real as that stick horse.  There was an assurance – in my head - that the stick horse was real and would sustain me even though it was my strength that held it up  It is learning the our Abba Father and His strength, that is our ‘stick horse’ when we not only hit the clinkers in the road, but in the good times as well. 

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, addresses this very point.  He wrote, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into his grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God” Romans 5:1-2. 

In other word,s faith opens our spiritual eyes to behold the glory of God and it fills our heart with hope.  Faith is the foundational building block for Christian living.  It is as real as that stick that became a horse in the hands of little lad, and, like the stick horse, you have to pick it up and get on board.

So, my young lads and lassies, when the rubber-hits-the-road, don’t get out one of the bangles and beads that so many put their faith in – in times of adversity - but “put your hands in the hands of the one who stills the waters”.  

Blessings,

Gramps