The Lord Led The Horses Back

For the past two years, I've been going to a neighbor's place and getting horse manure for my garden. To reach the manure pile, I have to pass through a corral containing several horses. In the many times that I've gotten manure, I've never had problems with horses getting out of the corral. Until today (May 7, 1996).

I opened the gate to the corral and moved my cart inside. Before I could close the gate, two horses came through the gate. I tried to stop them, but they pushed past me and headed to a large alfalfa field that was across the road from the corral. I shut the gate and began running after the horses.

As I ran, I realized that I couldn't catch the horses. Even if I did manage to head them off, I knew I wouldn't be able to control them and prevent them from veering in another direction. I realized that it was impossible for me to get the horses back in their corral.

While running after the horses, I began praying to the Lord. I told him I couldn't stop the horses, that I was doing all I could, and that I needed help. I said that it was up to him, and I asked him to turn the horses back to the corral. Within a minute of the end of my prayer, the horses stopped for a moment and then headed back to the corral. When they reached the fence, they stopped and waited. About a minute later, I reached them. I petted the closest horse and held on to his mane. Then, I noticed that a neighbor farmer, his wife, and his daughter were coming to help. They had seen me running after the horses.

The farmer had a light rope, which he used as a halter, and he led the horse I was holding into the corral. The other horse followed us to the gate, but he went past the gate to an area near a hay stack. Because that area was enclosed by a fence, the horse came back to the gate. The farmer placed the rope around the horse's neck and led him into the corral.

The horses, the farmer said, were hungry because they apparently hadn't had anything to eat all day. When I opened the gate, the two horses went out to find food.

The farmer said the horses had gotten loose in the past and they usually ran through the alfalfa field and then headed west. The people chasing them usually had to call the city animal control people for help. In one case he knew of, the horses had to be shot because they couldn't be captured.

I felt very blessed today! I know that the Lord told the horses to return to the corral and to stand quietly until they were led into the corral. I'm grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, that he does for us what we can't do for ourselves. I needed his grace today, and it came! For that I am thankful! This experience has helped me realize that I am dependent on the Lord. I do as much as I can in life, but it isn't enough--it will never be enough. Only through allowing the atonement to come into my life, only through relying on the grace of Jesus Christ will I obtain the happiness, peace, and joy that I desire.