753_God’s training to run with horses (Jeremiah 11:18 – 12:6)
Jeremiah 12:1-6 O Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you to decide. Now let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil men so happy? 2 You plant them. They take root and their business grows. Their profits multiply, and they are rich. They say, “Thank God!” But in their hearts they give no credit to you. 3 But as for me—Lord, you know my heart—you know how much it longs for you. (And I am poor, O Lord!) Lord, drag them off like helpless sheep to the slaughter. Judge them, O God!
4 How long must this land of yours put up with all their goings-on? Even the grass of the field groans and weeps over their wicked deeds! The wild animals and birds have moved away, leaving the land deserted. Yet the people say, “God won’t bring judgment on us. We’re perfectly safe!”
5 The Lord replied to me: If racing with mere men—these men of Anathoth—has wearied you, how will you race against horses, against the king, his court, and all his evil priests? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in Jordan’s jungles? 6 Even your own brothers, your own family, have turned against you. They have plotted to call for a mob to lynch you. Don’t trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak. Don’t believe them.
There is an English proverb that goes like this – “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.”
A sailor does not become confident by drifting across calm waters. He learns how to handle the sea by sailing through strong winds, rough waves, and long nights at sea. The very conditions he would not welcome train him to navigate the great oceans wisely and well.
The same is true of our walk with God. We often wish and pray for easier circumstances, but God wants to prepare us to meet our great responsibilities, rather than simply smoothing our current path. Jeremiah learned this lesson in one of the darkest seasons of his ministry.
Jeremiah 11:18–12:6 displays the deeply wounded heart of a faithful servant of God. The prophet had faithfully proclaimed God’s message to Judah, warning the people of the consequences of breaking His covenant. But instead of repenting, they responded with hostility.
Jeremiah discovered that the people of his own hometown, Anathoth, were plotting to kill him. He confessed, “I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes” (Jeremiah 11:19, ESV). Few wounds cut as deeply as opposition from family, friends, or one’s own community.
As Jeremiah poured out his heart before God, he frankly and boldly asked his questions. In Jeremiah 12:1 he prayed, “Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?” He did not doubt God’s righteousness, for he began by affirming it. Yet he struggled to understand why those who rejected God seemed to flourish while those who served Him faithfully suffered. It is a question that echoes through the Psalms, the book of Job, and even in our own hearts.
Instead of answering Jeremiah’s question, however, God redirected Jeremiah’s perspective. “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,” asked the Lord, “how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5, ESV).
Jeremiah asked “Why?” God answered with “What next?” Rather than explaining His providence, God put the mirror up to Jeremiah’s face. The present trials were preparing him for even greater challenges. He was not about to end the race because of opposition. Every hardship was part of God’s training program.
This pattern appears throughout Scripture. God rarely prepares His servants for service by giving them easier lives. Moses kept sheep for forty years in the wilderness before leading Israel. David faced lions, bears, and years of persecution before ascending the throne. Joseph endured betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment before becoming Egypt’s governor. The apostle Paul wrote that he had learned to be content through abundance and need, through honor and dishonor, because Christ strengthened him (Philippians 4:11–13). Even our Lord Jesus “learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8, ESV), not because He was ever disobedient, but because His obedience was demonstrated and perfected through suffering.
Meanwhile, it is easy to assume that our present difficulty is merely an obstacle delaying God’s plan. Jeremiah reminds us that the difficulty may actually be how God prepares and strengthens us. We naturally ask God to remove the burden, resolve the conflict, or silence our critics. Instead, he first strengthens His servants so that they may receive the prize of everlasting life. God’s goal is not merely to change our circumstances but to transform our character.
This perspective changes the way we view trials. Every disappointment, every unfair criticism, every unanswered question becomes an opportunity to grow. James writes, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2–3, ESV). Peter adds that our faith, tested by fire, becomes more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:6–7). The trial itself is not joyful, but what God accomplishes through it is worth rejoicing over.
In that moment, God revealed to Jeremiah the betrayal to his own family (Jeremiah 12:6). The prophet would face greater disappointments from people he loved. This was not intended to make Jeremiah cynical but realistic. Our confidence must ultimately rest not in people but in God. Human relationships, precious as they are, can disappoint us. The Lord alone remains perfectly faithful. As Isaiah later wrote, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV).
Sometimes we feel like we tried to obey God, yet our path seems harder rather than easier. Those who disregard God appear to succeed while we struggle. You may be carrying wounds inflicted by people you never expected would hurt you. Despite the obvious pain, we need to learn faith. God has not abandoned us. He is not ignoring your pain. He is shaping you through it.
Looking back, many mature believers can identify seasons they would never choose to repeat, yet would never choose to erase. Those seasons taught them to pray more earnestly, trust more deeply, and depend more completely upon God’s grace. The trial that once seemed unbearable equipped them to encourage others. Paul wrote that God “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:4, ESV). God never wastes the suffering of His children.
Let us hear God’s question personally: “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?” The Lord who calls us to greater endurance also supplies greater grace. He never asks us to run alone. The One who began a good work in us will carry it to completion (Philippians 1:6).
Let us not judge God’s faithfulness by the ease of our circumstances. For every challenge is part of His wise and loving preparation. One day we will see that whatever felt like defeat was actually God’s training ground. God bless.
Reflection Questions
What present trial or disappointment in your life might God be using as part of His training for future service?
Why do you think God sometimes chooses to strengthen His servants through hardship instead of removing the hardship immediately?
How can you respond differently this week so that your current struggles become opportunities to grow in faith, endurance, and dependence upon God?
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that You never waste the trials You allow into my life. When I struggle to understand Your ways, help me to trust Your heart. Teach me to see my present difficulties as Your loving preparation for what lies ahead. Strengthen my faith when I grow weary, give me endurance when the race becomes difficult, and keep my eyes fixed on You rather than on my circumstances. By Your grace, make me more like Christ and prepare me to serve You faithfully wherever You lead. In Lord Jesus’ name, Amen.
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