Laying a Solid Foundation

Our team just returned from a trip to Montana for our annual equine retreat. We worship, we ride, and we worship some more. Like our sessions, our retreat is not about the horse. It’s about Jesus.

The time we get at what we lovingly call “Tom’s Cabin” on the lake is immersed in the Word of God, in worship and at the feet of Jesus. It’s private, intimate, and refreshes our bodies and souls, filling us to overflowing with Jesus so we can pour out more effectively when we return. Each of us is learning to do this on a daily basis so it becomes our foundation.

On one particularly technical and difficult trail ride, one of our Embrace horses got a cut on his leg. When Chris dismounted to wrap the wound, we got to witness the foundation this exceptional trail horse had. Oscar had to stand still or risk slipping or accidentally pushing Chris off the edge of the trail. He had pay attention and trust her.

Without the foundation of many miles of trails and moments of trust, Oscar may not have been so steady. For him to become the rock solid trail horse we saw in bear country, it required years of trails when no one was there to witness his training and growth.

Jesus spent 90% of his life in quiet obscurity before we meet him in his thirtieth year. We read very brief glimpses into his birth, his dedication, and his adolescence before the greatest man who ever lived slips into complete anonymity only to emerge a couple of decades later to change the course of history, and eternity.

Sometimes when we have big plans to do things for God, or plans to pursue the purpose we know God created us to fulfill, we can get discouraged by the waiting. Why not now? Why not in this season? Why not this trail? Sometimes our efforts are met with very firm closed doors and we wonder if we heard God at all.

Imagine being Jesus, the Savior of the world, capable of healing and saving thousands and facing the starving faces of a neighboring family at the age of twenty-two. With the power to help he chooses obedience to the Father who says, “Not yet, my son.” Jesus submitted to the Father’s will in all things, even His will to wait when he had the power to act.

Quiet seasons aren’t recognized, much less applauded. And yet, they’re necessary in order to set the foundation for what’s required in later seasons. Trust the process. Watch God lay the perfect foundation for the trails you’ll blaze when the time is right. Intimacy is key in the waiting.