You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink

How many times have you heard that statement? It is an old bit of country wisdom. You can bring your horse to the water trough. But, if he ain't thirsty, then he ain't drinkin'.

Now, consider an update to that piece of rural wisdom.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. However, you can salt his oats!

In days gone by, our forefathers knew that if a horse has been sick and is weak and in danger of going down, you can put a little salt in his oats and that salt will draw it to the watering trough and make it want to drink. This is a great analogy of God's grace in our lives before we actually come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is active in our lives in such a way that He creates a "thirst" for the things of God in our lives.

Those of us from a Wesleyan heritage would call this Prevenient Grace. Maybe it is even more dramatic than a mere "thirst". Sometimes it is the Holy Spirit making us so miserable that we seem to have no where else to turn but to the Lord. (hey, that's a great old song, isn't it? -- Where Could I Go But to the Lord?)

I am thankful to God who not only sent His Son, but who also sent the Holy Spirit to be active in my life well before I bowed at an altar of prayer and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and make me a child of God.


"God, create in me a thirst for You and a thirst for Holiness every day"