Black Crater and horses, Black Butte Ranch, OR
Psalm 42:5-6 NLT
Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!
Before Elizabeth Taylor grew up to be a stunning, seductive Hollywood star, she was Velvet Brown in National Velvet. Although I never had the kind of horse race experience that she did, I felt a kindred spirit with her. We had our beloved horses (and a few angry ponies) on the farm. I remember trotting and pretending to be a horse while following the cow trails worn into the lush green pastures. Still, more than the excitement of the race, the bond between horse and human, or any of the family drama, what struck me was Velvet’s hope. Even when her number wasn’t called to win The Pie, she had hope that some way, some how The Pie would be hers, and he was. But sure, it’s easy to have hope when you end up getting what you want!
What about those days when we are feeling sad and discouraged? Where do we generate the light of hope when we feel that life is bathed in darkness because things aren’t working the way we think they should? Look to God. Take our eyes off of our troubles and secure them firmly on the Lord, but don’t stop there! Praise Him again and again and again until your hope is rekindled. I think back on some of the passionate prayerful pleas I made to the Lord and praise Him that He didn’t give me what I asked for! Perhaps it wouldn’t have been much of a movie without Velvet winning The Pie, but she would never had had the chance to win The Pie if God had answered her prayer for a horse the first time she prayed for one.
