"Ride"

I nearly got unseated,

That pony was too fresh,

I near fell off, my stirrup lost,

I really did my best.

But somehow he stopped bucking,

And I stepped to the ground,

More work I thought, he should be taught,

We’re that old round pen bound.

And then it clear occurred to me,

It’s what the Good Lord does,

We misbehave, He tries to save,

And trains us more because,

He wants to really use us,

To make a difference here,

Refinements bring, uses everything,

To teach us and make clear,

That we are advertisements,

Of His saving, wondrous love,

He’ll clip and prune, and make more room,

For His power from above.

We want to catch and saddle,

That pony so to use,

With no surprise, just honest tries,

And not some shortened fuse.

And God just wants to do the same,

When it’s time to get things done,

He calls us in, so He can send,

Us out to serve His Son.

“…every branch that bears fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…” (John 15:2, NIV)

God is in the business of changing our lives, and we all know that change can be painful. This is true, but especially if we have done things the same way for a long time. Old habits die hard, they say. But the Lord knows just what it takes to prune us so that we can be more fruitful. This simply means that He loves us the way we are, but too much to allow us to stay the way we are. He faithfully chips away at selfish habits that undermine our witness and steal our spiritual identity. Thank God it’s a process, or it would be too overwhelming. But, lovingly and patiently, He enables us to change. Thank God He never gives up on us, even when we might be reluctant to embrace all that He intends.

Lord, help us cooperate with every change You want to make in our lives, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Doug Monson, used by permission. Thanks, Doug, and God bless you.