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Contending With Horses
When life’s challenges seem overwhelming, what’s a man to do? Proverbs 14.10 says, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.” Each of us carry burdens that are hard to bear, and difficult for others to empathize with. That are crippling at times. Arguably one of the greatest writers in the English language shared the same sentiment:
'When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions'
Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene V
There’s another statement found in the Old Testament that I believe speaks to us all who are wearisome. Listen to God’s powerful and profound answer to the prophet’s plea:
“If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?”
Jeremiah 12.5
You see, Jeremiah’s questions are not coming from a general wondering about God but from a personal crisis in his life. Why do the wicked do well? Why are evildoers living at ease? Why do they thrive? It’s a common question for the ages. Then and now. And as we contemplate the answer, we oftentimes find ourselves as Christians faced with still another heartfelt conundrum. If we are only secure in the Lord when we are on safe and level ground, then what are we going to do when our lives take us deep into the thorns of the thickets?
Simply put, we all must regard the present challenges as a preparation for greater challenges to come. There are times when we experience mental, emotional and even spiritual exertion. And it’s in those times that we need to learn to trust and lean on His everlasting arms. To draw on His strength. We must “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12.1). It’s the path our Lord requires. A portrait of a life lived fully through some of the best and worst times.
“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 10.22b
Imagine if you could have the stamina and ability to run with horses. God wants that for you. But He also says there is a process to get there.
“And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Zechariah 13.9
Weary of racing against men? Renew your mind. Don’t pray for a lighter load, but for a stronger back.
So we can contend with horses.
