What does it truly mean to have a meek and quiet spirit? God says that it is a priceless characteristic that all Christian women must have. How we develop one? By reining it in and learning the truth of a meek and quiet spirit!
There is nothing like the beauty, fire and the strength of a horse. God created these gorgeous animals and when under control they can provide an array of services to mankind. To take a horse, break it and teach it to respond to the reins is not cruel, but rather it takes a magnificent creature and helps it to become all that its Creator made it to be and fulfill it’s purpose.
The most fascinating horses to me are “wild horses.” Over 100 years ago there were an estimated 2 million mustangs roaming the range across the southern part of America. However, only approximately 25,000 mustangs roam the United States today. The American mustangs originally came from the Spanish stock of horses brought to America in the beginning of the 16th century. The word mustang comes from the Spanish word “mustengo,” which means “ownerless beast.” I used to dream of capturing one of them and making them mine! These are horses that no one rides – they are wild and uncontrollable! Sometimes I feel like my life is like that, do you?
These animals are wild and uncontrollable and need to be “reined in.” We are often like these creatures and also need to be “reined in” sometimes!
~ Reining It In ~
Learning the Truth of a Meek & Quiet Spirit
God’s Word has much to say about how we live our lives as women.
The Bible says in I Peter 3:3-4:
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
I truly believe this passage of the Bible is greatly misunderstood and misapplied by many Christian women.
I have know many women who take this to mean that being “meek and quiet” means they have to act shy or reclusive and only speak in whispers, but this is not talking about an outward manifestation in life.
These verses are telling us just the opposite. It actually says that our outward adorning isn’t to be the focus, but rather the inside of you!
The focus must be on the “hidden man of the heart” – your inner spirit – The “real” you that no one sees.
A “meek and quiet spirit” is not a personality!!!
I have known many girls and women who naturally are quiet or maybe shy and don’t talk very much in public. However, oftentimes these same gals would be contentious when no one was listening and stubborn as can be! I have known other girls and women who are outgoing and love to meet and talk to people, yet they had the sweetest and most submissive spirits ever.
When I was in Bible college, I remember several young men who would see a shy or quiet girl say, “That’s the kind of girl I want to marry because she has a meek and quiet spirit.” However, I would know that the same girls were often the ones fighting with their roommates in the dorm and pouting when they didn’t get their own way. (I’ve often wondered how those marriages worked out!?!)
No, having a meek and quiet spirit has nothing to do with your personality!
Let’s break down these two main words…
Meek – in the Greek – “praus” – used to describe the taming of a wild horse. Once the horse is trained it isn’t at a loss for strength, speed or robbed of its majesty. But rather, it’s just under control. Originally it was used to describe a wild animal that has become a domesticated, trained animal that has learned to obey the voice of its master. It came to mean, when describing people, the quality of self-control, which can accept the guidance and direction of another. It speaks of a submissive spirit rather than being stubborn and showing resistance to authority.
Quiet – in the Greek – “hesuchios” and had the literal meaning of ‘keeping one’s seat or proper place.’ It came to describe someone who is ‘at peace’ or content with her position and placement. The opposite of a “quiet spirit” is one that is both inwardly and eventually, outwardly defiant.
I have always been greatly fascinated with the breaking and training of horses. The power that the cowboy has over his horse is truly something to behold.
My husband, Matt, grew up on a farm and bred, broke and trained his own horses. He has such a gift when dealing with animals and if was truly amazing to see how he handled these small foals as they matured into large horses.
There are several steps that must be taken to take a wild, untamed horse and mold them into a well-trained, obedient animal. I think it’s interesting that the very words God used to describe our spirit would be the same description for taming a wild horse!
There are a few steps that must be learned for that horse to be led and reined. The same steps apply to us as we learn to yield to the Lord, our Master.
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Learn to Know & Trust the Master
Whenever a new foal was born on the farm, my husband would immediately begin the process of establishing the relationship of master of that little animal. Within just a few hours of its birth, he would begin to introduce himself and his presence to the baby horse. He would enter the stall where the mare and foal were and establish his presence in that foal’s world. He would touch the foal, allow the foal to smell him and know him.
Systematically, he would take the time each day to re-introduce himself and allow the little colt or filly to get used to him and his presence. As time went on, he would introduce new activities between himself and the animal. He would groom and care for it – touching its ears and hoofs. Eventually, the baby horse came to trust him.
As the days passed, he would begin to groom the foal. He would feed the foal. He would put a lead halter on and take the little animal around the older, well-trained and broken horses. He would spend time with the horse so he would know and trust him as his master!
The same must be true in our lives.
Just like that little horse, we enter the world not knowing the Heavenly Master.
One day, we are introduced to Him and come to know Him and accept Him.
How does this happen? When we are born again into His family as we accept Him for salvation.
Once we accept Him as our personal Savior, we begin our relationship with Him…
The Bible says in James 4:8,
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
– We read His Word…and learn what He’s like.
– We talk to Him…and know He’ll listen.
– We go through new experiences and learn we can trust Him.
– He leads us and we learn to follow Him.
But the relationship doesn’t stop there.
Once the foal had learned to know who my husband was – his master and trusted him, he then had to…
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Learn to Listen For & Obey the Master’s Voice
He would talk to the foal repeatedly. That little animal would hear him call and would come running to the fence. He would put the halter on and teach that animal to follow his voice commands…
“Giddy-up”
“Walk”
“Trot”
“Step”
“Easy”
“Whoa!”
That animal would learn the sound of the master’s voice and was trained to respond to every command!
The same should be true in our Christian life.
Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”
– As our relationship grows with the Lord, we will learn to discern His voice in our lives.
– We will hear Him when He speaks to us as we read the Bible.
– We will hear our Master’s voice through the preaching and teaching of His Word.
As time goes by, we learn to listen for and then obey the sound of our Master’s Voice in this world!!!
Most people don’t realize it, but the horse was truly the backbone of the Civil War.
Horses were the main source of transportation – they moved generals, officers and soldiers.
They pulled ambulances and hearses.
They carried supplies, ammunition and messages.
Their service didn’t end there.
They also went to the battlefield and usually gave all they had.
Can you imagine??? The noises, the chaos, the carnage, the horrible sights of war and death –
and yet these animals were often the heroes, carrying wounded men to safety and charging directly into the fiercest fighting.
How was this possible??? They learned to listen for and obey the voice of their master!!!
A “meek & quiet spirit” doesn’t mean a docile, weak, vanilla-type person, but rather it is the fact that we are listening to and hearing the voice of the Master above everything else in our life!
In the same way, our little horses would learn through trust to listen to what my husband said in spite of what was happening around him. As time went on, the young horse would learn to listen to my husband’s voice and obey his master, regardless of the circumstances!!!
But the training didn’t stop there.
After the horse learned to know who his master was and learned to listen to and obey his voice, it had to…
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Learn to Yield to the Master’s Control.
It would begin when my husband would take a light blanket and lay it across the back of the horse. After a few days, he would then put a light saddle on top of the blanket.
This weight would begin to train the animal for use! As time went on a heavier blanket and saddle would be put in place.
Once the horse was accustomed to the saddle, the most important tool for controlling and using the horse was introduced…the bit, the bridle & reins.
Horses are interesting creatures. Full grown they weigh well over 1,000 lbs. – a very large and powerful animal!
It really doesn’t matter how big of a person you are – my husband is a very muscular 6’4” tall!
When an animal weighs over 1,000 lbs., they pretty much do whatever they want to do…unless…something comes along that controls the horse’s head. The truth is…a horse will always follow its head! – (profound, isn’t it?)
That is exactly what the bit, the bridle and the reins do!!!
You slip the bit into the mouth of the horse and it will control the animal.
Young horses are very sensitive to the bit and bridle. Their mouth is tender and it takes very little pressure or movement to turn their heads with the reins.
The same is to be true in our Christian lives…
The Bible says in Romans 6:12-13,
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
Just as the bit and bridle control the actions of the horse, God says that we are to be controlled by Him!
How is this? A “meek and quiet spirit” – our inner being – the “real” us – is not to be under our own control, but rather we are to be Holy Spirit-controlled – YIELDED TO HIM!
For some, it’s easier to live a yielded, submissive Christian life when we’re first saved, but as time goes by we try to live it in our own strength. Something interesting happens to a horse as they get older…They grow resistant to the working of the bit and bridle. Where they were once responsive to the reins with the lightest touch – they become callous and insensitive…
They stop responding to the MASTER!!!
When a horse is sensitive to the master – they are easily controlled by the bit, bridle and reins. They more responsive they are – the more performance you can get out of them and more valuable they become to their master!!!
In the very same way, sensitive yielding to the Holy Spirit brings about a “meek and quiet spirit” in our lives. The more responsive we are to our Master – the more God can use us!
He takes us – using the bridle of the precious Holy Spirit – and takes our wild, uncontrolled human nature and turns us into a usable, valuable and effective creature FOR HIS USE!
A few years ago, a story was publish on the Associated Press on the evening of the 4th of July that greatly illustrates the importance of control…
“Horse Kills 1 and Injures 23 at Iowa Parade”
A Fourth of July parade in eastern Iowa turned to mayhem on Sunday when a runaway horse lunged into the crowd and trampled 24 people, many of them children. At least one person was killed, and several others were seriously injured.
The chaos took place when the horse, pulling a buggy got spooked and charged into the crowd at the Heritage Day Parade, a decades-old tradition that attracts thousands to Bellevue, a town of 2,300 people nestled along the Mississippi River.
Bellevue’s fire chief said two horses, both at the rear of the parade, bumped into one another, knocking one horse’s bridle off and causing it to bolt, followed by the second horse.
“They took off down the street uncontrollably, about six blocks — the horses and the carriages behind them, running over children and adults along the parade route.”
A spokesman for the Bellevue Police department said Janet Steines, age 60, whose husband was driving the carriage, died Sunday evening at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City after she was taken there with injuries from the accident.
About 10,000 people were lined up along the parade route when the horses made their dash just after 11 a.m. As the runaway horses galloped through the crowd, a passenger on the buggy was thrown into the air. Parents grabbed their children and ran, and throngs of parade-goers screamed and scrambled for cover.
In addition to the woman who died, another 23 people were injured, all but two of whom were taken to local hospitals by ambulance. Among the injured were at least four people in critical condition — including at least two children – and another five with “major injuries,” like broken bones, collapsed lungs and head injuries.
What an atrocity! It’s hard to imagine the carnage of such a scene – all caused by one horse who threw off his bridle! Yet, just like that wild, bucking, out of control horse, we often think our behavior, our spirit, our actions only affect us, but nothing could be further from the truth!
The pathways of our lives are lined with other people …friends, family, other people including the young innocent ones. They watch us to see how we are handling what God has allowed in our lives and how He is leading us.
When we get spooked in life, we want to throw off the bridle of God’s control and handle things our way & run our own trail in the parade of life. And we often don’t even consider what we do to the spectators along the way!
Can I ask you?…
How is your spirit?
Have you learned to be “broken” and reined in by your Heavenly Master?
How about the part of you that no one sees…the “hidden” you?
Do you know and trust the Master?
Do you hear and obey His Voice?
Is your spirit “meek and quiet” yielded to the Lord’s control?
Do you find yourself throwing your head, wanting to do it on your own…your own way?
An untrained, defiant animal is useless to the Master. Allow the Lord to work in your life and help you “rein it in” and truly have a priceless, meek and quiet spirit!