There is an adage about the tailless cow that explains the help of God. Without her tail, the cow’s life is miserable, at least in developing countries where cows range free. It may not matter much in countries where cows are penned in sterile conditions. In those other countries where flies abound, unless a cow has its tail intact, flies will make her life unbearable.
That is unless God comes to her rescue. This is the picture I get whenever I read that God is a strength to the needy in distress in Isaiah 25.4. There is no doubt the tailless cow is in distress. God has to be her strength and defend it from flies.
I find that very comforting because it means God is aware of our circumstances and sometimes makes our lives unbearable. That is when you hear of unbelievers committing suicide. We hear of believers (or at least churched people) doing the same thing when they become like the tailless cow.
Please observe we do not despise believers who become so miserable that they feel the only way out is suicide. Only God knows what each of us is going through. But please do not take your life. Your life, my life, is not ours to take and it instantly buys the person a one-way ticket to hell. If, at any time, you feel like the tailless cow, remember Isaiah 25.4. Memorize it if necessary.
The Tailless Cow Has Problems
By now, you are aware that the tailless cow is simply a parable for our lives. There is no doubt the tailless cow has problems. Yet it continues to live, and that is because it receives help from the helper of the helpless. That is another way of understanding our key verse, an example of which you find the “Abide with Me” hymn.
I am not sure how the tailless cow lost its tail. Perhaps she was born that way or maybe she lost her tail in an accident. But, like any good parable, it reminds us of our situation. Whether we inherited problems or created our problems through disobedience to God, we are like that poor animal.
God regularly comes to her rescue, just as God will come to our rescue. But we have to be like the tailless cow. We must acknowledge our helplessness. Then, and only then do our problems become positive situations. As long as we think we can solve our problems by our tactics, God cannot help us.
But, as soon as we stop leaning on our understanding, He rescues us in the same way he does the tailless cow. The significance of that is that your problem becomes positive because it attracts God’s presence into your life. And you know that in the Presence of God, there is fullness of joy.
God Is A Present Help In Trouble
Yes, problems help to attract God into your life, if you learn to acknowledge Him in all situations. On the other hand, if you believe you are a self-made man, look for God to do a Nebuchadnezzar on you. Do not let that last part puzzle you. We addressed the king who refused to acknowledge God in a previous post. Read it here.
But the moment you accept that you are like the tailless cow and then call on God, He comes to your rescue. Perhaps this idea of waiting to call on God is why some believers misquote Psalm 46.1. They probably think there are times they do not need to pray to God. Such Christians quote Psalm 46.1 this way. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (in time) of trouble.” But that is wrong.
The truth is that God is a very present help in trouble because every moment is full of trouble. If you do not wake up to find a mountain of trouble, you will run into it by nightfall. That is certain and is the reason Jesus cautions us in Matthew 6.34. He says there that the evil in each day is sufficient for that day.
Take Off Your Tail
That being the case, I become proactive about becoming like the tailless cow. I do not wait to lose my tail to an accident or the devil. I take it off constantly. Do not laugh, because once you understand this positive problem concept, you might decide to join me. You will not wait for the enemy to pull out your tail and render you helpless.
How do you pull off your tail? Good question. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding. God wants us to have understanding, both spiritual and secular. So, this does not mean you should not get a good education. Go as far and as high as you can go. But do not lean on that. That is how you proactively become a tailles cow.
Why wait? Do it yourself and remind yourself to do it constantly. Thereby, you enjoy the presence of God all the time. Now, you can start laughing, not at me, but for joy. Because in the presence of God, the joy is full.
Maranatha!
