Matthew 5:5
Saints are also persons who submit their will to the will of God.
"Blessed are the meek," said Jesus, "for they will inherit the earth." In the original Greek, "meek" meant literally the "tamed" or the "broken" (as a wild horse is broken). "A wild horse is of no use to anyone, but a "meek" or "gentled" horse can carry children." Meekness is a matter of submission to God's will. Submission is something that some of us are not good at.
You may be familiar with the amazing story of the first grader who appeared greatly upset when he came to the principal's office and requested to use the phone. "Can I help you with something?" the principal asked. The little boy explained, "Yesterday I forgot my sweater at school. This morning my mother told me not to come home without it. I can't find it anywhere. I want to call her and ask her where she wants me to go."
For many of us, life is one long battle for control. First with our parents, then with our teachers, then with our employers, and even with ourselves. That is the humbling effect of a bad habit. We discover we can't even control ourselves. We have only one hope: to yield to God's control. When we are able to do that, we can rest assured that God will take care of us.
The late William Hinson recalled the time when his children were younger and one child's pet died. Dr. Hinson said that he practiced "replacement" therapy. When one pet died, it was replaced by another pet. One time, his youngest daughter Cathy's cat died. Together, they went to find another pet. Cathy selected a tiny peekapoo puppy. When they got home, Dr. Hinson agreed to build a doghouse for the new pet to live in. He said the only kind of dog he knew much about was a really big dog, so when he built the doghouse, he built a very large house. In fact, the house was too large for the small dog.
The size of the doghouse scared the little peekapoo puppy. No matter what they did, the little dog would not go near the doghouse. They would put his food in there, and the dog would go hungry; they would put water in there, and the dog would not drink. In exasperation, Dr. Hinson admitted that he would shove him in and hold his hands over the door, but in a minute, he would run out, unbelievably frightened. Nothing worked. The little dog would not go in his doghouse no matter what they did to entice him.
In disgust, Dr. Hinson went inside and sat down in the den while his daughter Cathy stood outside crying over her dad's impatience and the refusal of her puppy to cooperate. After a while, Cathy got down on her hands and knees and crawled into the doghouse herself. When she crawled into it, something wonderful happened. That little puppy trotted right in beside her and stretched out on the doghouse floor. Before too long, the dog was taking a nap. All the shadows now stood still for him, and all the fear was taken out of the darkness because the one whom he loved and trusted had preceded him into that dark and frightening place. It no longer caused him fear.
There's a lesson here for us. We can surrender our will to God's will, knowing that God loves us. Wherever He leads us, He will be with us. We don't have to enter dark doghouses alone. Saints trust in God and God alone. Saints submit their will to God's will.
Questions to Ponder:
Have you submitted your will to God's will?
Isn't it wonderful that we are never alone?
How meek are you?
In His Service,
Terry Phillips
