17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, for we hope in you. (Psa 33:17-22)
What does “the war horse” promise? Salvation. Rescue. It promises to be a source of “great might” that we can control. It promises us to do our bidding and be a vehicle for self-preservation.
But it is “a false hope.” It “cannot rescue.” Now, certainly horses have been involved in victorious military campaigns. But the psalmist wants us to see that the horse is under us, under our supervision, our control. For this reason “horses” will always be limited. They are limited by us. Limited by our two eyes, our simple minds, our faulty analytics and comprehension, our self-referential applications. We tell it to "go that way!" But is that The Way?
Calendars, bank accounts, smartphones, apps, tools, cars, acreage, trips, plans, health, friends, family: all of these things, when hoped in, cannot rescue. They are subject to us. They are limited. None of them stands above and reaches down. None of them sees.
“Behold, the eye…” There is One who sees. There is One who is not subjected to us; He is no tool. He is without limitation. He stands above all and reaches everywhere. He says, "This is The Way." And He alone knows.
“Those who fear Him…who hope in His steadfast love…” Fear and love mingle in a true understanding of God. He is the Great God over all gods. And He is our God. He is no “war horse,” bred, fed, trained, handled. Nor can He be captured in battle and employed by our enemies. He is ours—the “ours” of love. And He is awesome—the “awesome” of singular hope. There is no hope apart from His fearful, steadfast, love. No hope apart from Him.
So “our soul waits for the LORD.” We must wait. We can only wait. “War horses” are the devices of haste and agency, action and progress, self-confidence and plans. And they are false hopes. The only true hope is in Another—we have no agency here, no rushed planning or anxious activity. We can only wait. When hope comes, it’ll come. Feeding and dressing a cavalry of horses won’t hasten hope’s arrival. Our God arrives exactly on time. Always. ("His love is always right on time...." -Aaron Cole)
“Let Your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, for we hope in You.” Waiting patiently for someone is a sign of a healthy relationship—I know they’re reliable and they’ll do what they said they’d do. Another sign of a healthy relationship is direct, vulnerable, communication. The psalmist lays bare his hope, his heart.
The psalmist asks plainly for what he’s just described to be true of God. It’s not that he wonders whether it is true, or is anxious about God being a rescuer. It’s that, well, he’s human and feels things, like anxiety or fear, and wants to tell it to his one reliable, loving, friend. There is no tension between waiting and praying. (There can be a tension, if our praying is neurotic repetition—then prayer becomes a “war horse” we use to squeeze favors from “big-big.” But) waiting on the LORD is us trusting the LORD. And praying to the LORD is us trusting the LORD.
Wait in silence; wait in prayer. Either is welcome because the Lord is full of steadfast love toward you, and His eye is on you.
Loose the reigns of the “war horse” today. Trust Him.
Photo by Viktor Talashuk on Unsplash
