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Wild Horses from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

How would you like to see more divine provision, protection, peace, and rest in your life? To have less anxiety and worry about what is coming tomorrow? There is a way. Jesus told us this:

(Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV)  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

A yoke was a device used to link animals and make them pull a load together. It was used for plowing a field or pulling a chariot in battle. The yoke divided the work among those pulling. By working together, they could get much more done in a shorter amount of time and not have to work as hard.

Jesus told us to take His yoke upon us, to join forces with Him, and there we would find rest. The yoke is a device for work, but He promises that we would find our rest while working for Him. He also said to learn from Him, and we would find rest for our souls. Sometimes the burden would become so heavy that the oxen would stumble, but Jesus said that His yoke is easy, and His burden light. 

Wild horses roaming the range go where they please and do whatever they want. They are unbridled and free! Yet, that freedom brings a price. They always have to be concerned with whether there will be another meal. They are prey and threatened by wolves, bears, and other predators. If they break a leg, they will probably soon die, for there is no one to care for them.

Horses that are broken and are bearing the yoke are taken care of by their Master. They are restricted by the coupling and cannot roam free anymore. They have to go where the Master guides them. All the food they need is provided as well as a safe place to rest at night. They are protected from predators, for the Master will not allow them to be harmed. If they are injured and break a leg, it will be bandaged up, and they will be taken care of while they heal. They can rest easy knowing that the Master will take care of their needs.

Do you see the differences between the two? I did whatever I wished for a long time, but there was always a lack. There was no peace, no rest to be found. My plans were not God's plans, and He doesn't finance our ideas. Instead, He provides what is needed to accomplish His will on Earth. We are to get in league with Him. The sooner we get yoked together with Him, the sooner our circumstances improve. Discipline and restraint are good things to learn early on in life. Jeremiah wrote this:

(Lamentations 3:25–27 NASB)  The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he should bear The yoke in his youth.

When you team up with the Lord, He makes the decisions. You don't have to worry about what's coming tomorrow because He already has the workday planned out. When you are working directly for Him and following His instructions, all you need will be provided at the proper time. When attacks come, He will fight the battle with us. Your will is to do His will. Only then do You become a horse He can use.

Wild horses that kick, break the restraints, and run off to have some fun, are pretty useless to Him. They cannot be trusted. They may grow up, mature, learn discipline, and perhaps He can use them later. But many times, their years of youth were wasted being frivolous. They spent their time doing worthless things while He watched them.

(Matthew 9:37 NASB)  Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

There are hundreds of thousands of wild horses running about today, but the workers are few. When you are bearing the yoke, there is no freedom of speech. You can't just say everything that comes to your mind. You have to make your body behave, and you set limits on what you will look upon, be a part of, or participate in. The Apostle Paul said this:

(1 Corinthians 9:26–27 NASB)  Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

When compared to the hundreds of laws in Judaism, Christianity has few. But there is still something to carry. We cannot merely overlook what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, His parables, and the Great Commission.

For example, we are commanded to love God and love one another (Luke 10:27). That instantly rules out hatred for any person, so you can't put Jesus in a hate group. He just doesn't fit. Look at any movement, and if you see it filled with violence, hate, and bitterness, the heart of God is not in it. That is not how He gets things done. It is not by might, nor power, but by My Spirit says the Lord (Zechariah 4:6). The violence of man does not accomplish the will of God.

I encourage everyone to team up with the Lord and what the Holy Spirit is doing on the Earth. Stop being a horse who runs with a wild herd because it is the direction everyone else is going. Stop allowing yourself to do things that are wrong because everyone else seems to. 

When you bear the yoke, you can't follow the herd. You must follow the Master.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I choose to follow You today. Put Your yoke upon me and bring Your rest, protection, and provision with it. Lord, I am Yours, and I am ready to work. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!