Lessons learned in Hunting: Victory comes from the Lord

                     

Numb hands; stiff arms. Cold air hits the lungs, slowly. Quiet. Eyes fixed. Wait. What was that? No. Nothing. Breathe out. Hand drifts back off the slide. Steel like ice. Anything can happen in this moment, or nothing at all. Hours of preparation, of silence and stillness, they count for nothing unless something comes..

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Then again, if something comes and you’re not ready, you still lose. What a game. What a gamble. Was there a choice though? Back then I mean. This was life or death. Victory or failure. Succeed or starve. What might this required. What strength. Nimrod, a man referenced in Genesis, was known as being “the mighty hunter before the Lord” (Gen. 10:8-9) Some people wouldn’t call hunting an honorable thing, but they would be wrong, because before God it is seen as mighty. Think about it… the attributes required for succeeding in hunting are patience, quietness, stillness, listening, and watchfulness. You climb into an uncomfortable position, sit still, not making a sound, eyes ever searching, ears ever open. Then, you wait. You wait for hours. Sometimes seeing nothing at all. This shows discipline and perseverance. For these attributes, Nimrod was honored forever.

There’s one important point though. Many times, more often than not, you see nothing and go home with nothing. This is because victory ultimately comes from the Lord. In Proverbs it says, “the horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.” (Prov. 21:31) This means that the horse can be prepared for battle all he wants, but if the Lord doesn’t bring the victory, there wont be a victory. So likewise, a hunter can do everything right and be perfectly prepared…yet if the Lord doesn’t bring something out, the hunter will fail. Though at the same time the Lord could bring something out for the hunter, but if they’re not prepared, they’ll miss it. Let’s remember that the horse was still ready for the battle. Therefore we also need to be ready for the battle but ultimately know and recognize that the victory comes from the Lord. Branches crack, head jolts. Air rushes in. Antlers move through the trees. Cheek rests, eye lined through scope. Hands grip. Heart races. Pounding. Silence. Squeeze. Breathe out.

Victory.