The Two Wolves - Pt 1

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 42:5-6 ESV).

There is a wonderful parable called “The Two Wolves Within” that has been attributed to Native Americans. It is possibly from the Cherokees, though no positive authentication can be made. The story begins with a wise old grandfather talking with his grandson. He tells his grandson there are two wolves inside of all of us which are always at battle. One is a good wolf which represents things like kindness, bravery, and love. The other is a bad wolf, which represents things like greed, hatred, and fear. The grandson stops and thinks about it for a second then he looks up at his grandfather and says, “Grandfather, which one wins?” The grandfather quietly replies, “The one you feed.” I find it more than just a passing interest that so many people fail to recognize the truth that there is a war raging within us. It is one in which there has not been any lasting peace since the beginning when Adam and Eve first decided that the knowledge of this good and evil was to be preferred over a simple knowledge of God. We have seen the battles range from the relatively benign to the destruction akin to a nuclear explosion. Futures have been irrevocably altered, marriages and families destroyed, and individuals changed forever as a result of someone feeding the wrong wolf. Our next few Morning Devotionals will deal with the process of feeding the right wolf within us. The psalmist says our beginning is found in hope. Richard Sibbes, one of the great old Puritan preachers of Cambridge who died in 1635, wrote a whole book (175 pages) on the first verse of our reading today. He was called “the sweet dropper” because of how much confidence and joy his sermons caused. He titled his book The Soul’s Conflict with Itself. This is certainly an accurate picture of the inner struggle the paslmist was experiencing in Psalm 42. The soul was arguing with itself, preaching to itself. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God!” Hoping in God does not come naturally for us. We must tell it to ourselves, and preach diligently and forcefully, or we will give way to a downcast and disquieted spirit. Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Yes. Does it make a difference in what we do? Yes. So, today, begin with a clear intention to begin the journey and feed the right wolf.