Christmas is advancing upon us, and we are advancing to the second phase of jungle training in our “Advent Adventure.”
Hiking to Advance Base took us on foot another 35 miles farther away from civilization. Campers each had a turn riding one of the mules for an hour. Our mules were slow but sure-footed as they crossed rivers and climbed muddy mountain trails.
Knowing I had ridden horses as a child, the staff asked if I would ride the single horse in our pack. As I forded a river, the horse sank into a deep hole. Frantic, desperate, and struggling with mud up to his shoulders, the animal had to lighten his load, and the easiest way was to get rid of his rider. I flew over his head, completed a summersault, and landed shaken on the muddy riverbank. With my weight gone, the horse freed himself and dashed up the same riverbank, his hooves flying within inches of my head. And once again, I thanked God for that angel watching over me. I hope he got paid overtime that day!
Jesus walked everywhere. We only have record of one occasion when Jesus rode. During Holy Week, his disciples brought him a colt that had never been ridden. What a recipe for disaster…an inexperienced rider and an unbroken colt! Add in a crowd that was shouting and waving palm branches. Unlike my frantic horse at the riverbank, this colt calmly carried his rider through a mob. As Isaiah and Zechariah predicted, “Behold your King is coming to you, gentle and mounted upon a donkey, even upon a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” (Mt. 21:5)
Jesus could have walked into Jerusalem. There was no obvious need to borrow a colt. But a donkey was a symbol of royalty and servitude…and peace.
Are you stuck in a muddy rut, frantic to find a way out of your circumstances? Ask the Lord to touch your day with His serenity and peace.