“The Ultimate Bog Rider”
By Shelley M. Reed
The retelling of a story told by John Elmore
I was recently listening to the Worship Initiative, a podcast originated by the Christian music artists, Shane and Shane. They had a guest speaker, John Elmore, on the show, who is a well-known pastor/author in the Christian community. He told a story that became deeply etched in my memory. Since it was so meaningful to me, I just felt like the Lord wanted me to share it with all of you! Hopefully it will encourage you in some way as it did me!
John’s grandfather-in-law was a tough cowboy from Texas who survived some horrendous experiences in the Korean war and had lost both his daughter and wife to cancer. These heartbreaking struggles he encountered during his lifetime resulted in skepticism towards God. He questioned, “How could a loving God allow such bleak circumstances to happen in our lives?”
Their family was gathered together at a birthday party when “Dah”, his affectionate grandpa nickname, mentioned the word “bog rider”. John quickly commented and asked him to explain this odd term because he had never heard of it before this moment. This began the telling of a powerful and fascinating story…
Dah reminisced…The “bog rider” is probably the most important job for the cowboy. After the rainy season would end, the cattle’s watering holes would begin to recede as the intense, summer heat took over. Often the cows would have to walk farther into the holes to quench their thirst. As they would venture deeper in search for water, there were times when these massive, robust creatures would get stuck. The dense mud acting like weighted quick sand would engulf their limbs and torso, utterly trapping them in this liquid coffin with no hope of escape. Which means, they would face certain death unless rescued! The bog rider was their lifeline, their owner, one who would travel from watering hole to watering hole frantically seeking those animals who became stranded before it was too late. He would scan the skies for the vultures of death hovering overhead. When he found one of his own in such a helpless predicament, he would take his lasso, put one end on his saddle horn and take the other end and would choose to walk into that gooey mess to rescue him. Then, he would wrap the lasso around his cow’s horns and carefully but steadily lead this stubborn, terrified animal out of the mucky pond.
The careless creature shouldn’t have gone that far in the first place.
Maybe it was his pride that got the best of him.
Maybe his selfish determination.
Maybe it was an intense thirst that could not be quenched, so he kept foolishly venturing deeper and deeper into danger hoping he could experience relief.
Sadly, this intense longing for refreshment and satisfaction, led him into destruction.
But for the bog rider, it was a fierce love that drew him into the sludge. An extreme act of complete humility. Immersing himself fully in the scum. He would return to the mess hall unrecognizable, covered from head to toe in mud. Why? To rescue the one, his one.
Dah looked at John with tears in his eyes and said, “John, my friend told me that Jesus is the ultimate bog rider!”
In which John responded passionately, “YES DAH! He is! He is! He paid the ultimate price of death on the cross covering himself from head to toe in my mess to rescue me from my foolish choices. When I was dead in my sin, utterly trapped with no hope of escape, he came for me! He pulled me out!”
With that said, the conversation changed and the party went on.
John’s heart broke. He so yearned for Dah to open his heart to Jesus.
He realized later that this illustration was too beautiful not to be in the Bible…somewhere.
He found it…ONE verse, and it perfectly mirrored this stirring story. Psalm 40:2!
The psalmist, King David, passionately wrote,
“He drew me out from the pit of destruction, out of the MIRY BOG,
and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” (Emphasis mine)
John realized that David was a shepherd before he was a king. Could it be that David experienced one of his sheep going too far into a watering hole? Could he have been one of the first “bog riders” who rescued one of his own?? Was this an Old Testament picture of what Jesus accomplished when he went to the cross for us?
We are the wandering sheep destined for death, and Jesus, our Savior, pursued us entering into our grimy mess. His selfless sacrifice rescues us if we surrender and trust the fact that he is our ULTIMATE BOG RIDER. He can and WILL SET our feet on a rock and make our steps secure! We just have to believe! **
**At 91 years old, three months before “Dah” passed into eternity, he trusted Christ as His ultimate bog rider!
Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed..”