This message delves into the concept of being “trained, not tamed,” drawing parallels between the spirit of a wild horse and the journey of faith. It explores the crucial elements of trust – both in God and in others – as foundational for personal growth and meaningful connection. Whether you identify as a “wild horse” or know someone who does, this exploration offers insights into navigating life’s challenges and running the long race with purpose.
Embracing Your Inner Maverick: Understanding “Wild Horses”
The sermon begins by engaging the audience with a simple question: what wild animal comes to mind? Responses often include powerful creatures like tigers, lions, bears, or wolves. The speaker shares a personal anecdote from a trip to Yellowstone, encountering bison, elk, moose, and longhorn rams, highlighting the awe inspired by these animals. The speaker then shifts to a personal revelation: a desire to ride a wild horse, admitting, “I’ve been one. You know what I mean? Like I, I haven’t just been one. Can I say it this way? I am one.” This self-identification as a “wild horse” or “maverick” sets the stage for the central theme. The speaker explains that wild horses, like mavericks, resist being tamed, often reacting with defiance when cornered. This characteristic is then applied to human nature, suggesting that many individuals, and those close to them, possess this independent, spirited quality.
Divine Training vs. Human Taming
The core message emerges: our culture often advocates for “taming” those who are perceived as wild or rebellious. However, the speaker proposes a different approach, rooted in biblical examples: God trains rather than tames. The sermon illustrates this with figures like Moses, Jeremiah, David, John the Baptist, Simon the Zealot, James and John, Peter, and even Jesus himself. Each individual, despite their “wild” or strong-willed nature, was not subdued but rather honed and directed by God for a greater purpose. Moses was trained as a shepherd, David as a protector of sheep, and Peter, impulsive as he was, was trained to lead. Jesus, the ultimate maverick, was trained to fulfill God’s will. The speaker’s vision for the congregation is to see a community of “wild horses” and “mavericks” who are not subdued but trained to run with God for the long haul. This series, drawing from the book of Jeremiah, aims to provide lessons on how to achieve this training.
Jeremiah 12:5: The Call to Run with Horses
The sermon introduces Jeremiah 12:5: “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race with horses?” This verse serves as a powerful metaphor for the challenges of faith. If everyday struggles are exhausting, how can one possibly face greater adversities or run with the spiritual intensity required for a life devoted to God? The passage further asks, “If you stumble and fall on the open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?” This emphasizes the need for resilience and preparation for life’s inevitable difficulties. The central question then becomes: How do we run with Jesus for the long haul, navigating the ups and downs?
The Foundation of Trust: God and Others
The series proposes that the first step in this training is trust. Drawing from the book “Think Like a Horse,” the speaker highlights that without trust, there is no training. This principle applies directly to our relationship with God. Jeremiah 17:7-8 is cited: “But blessed are those who trust the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along the riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.” To cultivate trust in God, one must:
- Get Rooted: Deepen one’s connection through God’s word and dedicated time with Him. This grounding provides stability during life’s storms.
- Wrestle: Embrace the tension and challenges in one’s faith. Wrestling with doubts and difficulties, as biblical figures did, leads to growth and stronger trust.
- Rely: Depend on God’s faithfulness, His promises, and His past actions as a foundation for current reliance.
Beyond trusting God, the sermon emphasizes the equally vital, and often more challenging, aspect of trusting others. The analogy of wild horses running in herds underscores our innate design for community. Just as musicians have producers, athletes have coaches, and writers have editors, we are meant to collaborate and support one another. Biblical examples from Adam and Eve to Jesus and his disciples illustrate this principle of interconnectedness.
However, the reality is that people can and do break trust. The sermon addresses how to build or rebuild trust through three key actions:
- Be Truthful: Speak and live with honesty and authenticity. This means aligning actions with words, not just professing faith but living it.
- Be Transparent: Openly share struggles and be honest about one’s life, bringing hidden issues to light rather than concealing them. Confessing sins and struggles to God and others is crucial for healing.
- Be Teachable: Cultivate humility and a willingness to listen and learn from both God and others. Recognizing that one doesn’t have all the answers is essential for growth and healthy relationships.
The Reward of Trust and Training
Trust, the sermon concludes, is not built overnight. It requires daily commitment to being truthful, transparent, and teachable. The reward, as Galatians 6:9 states, is a “harvest of blessing.” The ultimate call to action is a decision: Are you willing to be trained? Are you willing to trust God and others? For those who have not yet trusted God, the message of Jesus’ sacrifice offers an opportunity for redemption and eternal life. For others, it’s a call to actively engage in building trust within relationships. By embracing training over taming, individuals can move from running wild to becoming disciplined, world-changing forces.
The service concludes with an invitation to respond, whether through connecting with others, baptism, or a personal commitment to trust in God.
References:
- Jeremiah 12:5
- Jeremiah 17:7-8
- Ephesians 4:25
- James 5:16
- Proverbs 19:20
- Galatians 6:9
