A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers     

Hebrews 12:11 (NIV), “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”  Arabian horses go through a rigorous trainingregimen in the deserts of the Middle East.  The trainers require absolute obedience from the horses, and test them to see if they have completely acclimated to their training.  The final test to which the horses are subjected would push the limits of endurance of any animal, much less a human.  The trainer ties up each horse and forces them to do without water for several days.  Then the trainer turns them loose and, naturally, they begin charging toward water.  But just as they get to the edge, ready to plunge in and drink to their satisfaction, the trainer blows his whistle.  The horses that have been completely trained and, thus, have learned perfect obedience, stop.  They turn around and come pacing back to the trainer.  They stand there quivering, thirsting for water, but they wait in perfect obedience.  When the trainer is sure that he has their obedience, he gives them a signal to go back to the water and drink.  Initially, this type of training may seem cruel, but when a horse and rider are on a trackless desert in Arabia and the rider’s life is entrusted to his horse, it is vital that the horse has been trained to be an obedient one.  In our text today, we are reminded that there are times in life when we must go through periods of rigor.  Like the regimen the Arabian horses must endure, the Lord has His own version of “desert training.”  God allows us to temporally endure intensive challenges so that ultimately we may become more resolute and tempered in our resolve.  Our heavenly Father does not torture or sadistically deprive us of what we need to be sustained, but He does permit us to be tested so that we value our obedience and trust in Him more than any innate desire that we might have.  As we learn to walk in complete faith in Him, no matter the circumstances, we can navigate any desert of life and arrive safely at the oasis of His provision with each new day.