If you grew up around livestock, you know every farm had one animal with a personality all its own. In our family, that was Sugar. Sugar was my sister’s horse—a Shetland-Welsh cross, headstrong and unpredictable. My sister once told me Sugar bit her on the shoulder, and being no pushover, she bit Sugar right back on the nose. That tells you just about everything you need to know about Sugar (and my sister).

My sister, thirteen at the time, came down sick for a couple of days, so feeding Sugar fell to me. Looking at her standing in the corral, fifteen-year-old me thought, this is my chance to ride her.

Sugar did not approve.

The second I jumped on her back, she bucked me straight off. Being stubborn myself, I wasn’t about to let a pony win. I dusted off and climbed back on. This time Sugar launched me into a tree.

Before I could scramble away, Sugar turned her back to me and started backing up. Trapped against the trunk, I braced for a kick. Instead, she just sat down on me. I was relieved she’d shown that much restraint. I never tried to get on her back again.

Thinking back on that day still makes me smile, but it also brings to mind how the Bible talks about horses. Throughout ancient history, horses weren’t just farm animals or pets—they were the ultimate symbol of strength and power.

Job 39 describes the warhorse with awe: “Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder? ... He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; he gallantly charges into the clash of arms.”

When ancient nations wanted to show off their power and glory, they brought out their horses. They stood for human strength and self-reliance. But the Bible keeps reminding us that earthly strength only goes so far. Psalm 20:7 puts it plainly: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

Human strength—including the strength of an unruly pony—can let us down when we least expect it. But the Bible points to a final display of strength that never will.

In Revelation 19:11, John describes a vision of the end of the age: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”

The first time Jesus came to Jerusalem, He rode in on a donkey—a humble King coming in peace. Revelation gives us a very different picture. He returns on a white horse, the ultimate symbol of a conquering King. Unlike Sugar, Jesus is not unpredictable. Unlike earthly kingdoms, His strength will never fade. His strength is grounded in justice, faithfulness, and truth.

Life has a way of throwing us against a wall—or a tree—and reminding us how limited we really are. What a comfort to know that the One who holds the future isn’t unpredictable or reckless. He is the Faithful and True King. He is coming soon, and when He does, every trial we’ve faced, every tree that life has thrown us against, will finally make sense.