Jeremiah 12:5 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?
Strength through Resistance
If you are involved in any kind of exercise regimen, you know that staying healthy is hard work. The way to build muscle mass, in part, is resistance. This may be by lifting weights, or by push-ups and sit-ups. In any event, our muscles atrophy without use. They are only built by the application of resistance.
Jeremiah was a man who was facing resistance in his life in every way, and he had a very honest question for God. In Jeremiah 12, he says, “Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?” Jeremiah says, “God, I know you are a just God, but I can’t see that in what’s happening right now.”
Rest on the character of God when you are troubled by what you can see but don’t understand. You cannot comprehend an infinite God with anything less than faith. When you don’t understand what you see or what is happening, you have to rely on the character of God. You must judge what you do not know of God by what you do know of God.
It is comforting to remember that we may not always understand God, but God always knows us. In verse 3, Jeremiah acknowledges that when he says, “But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou has seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee.” He says, “Even though I don’t understand what You are doing here, I know You, and I know that You know me.”
God’s answer to Jeremiah’s question is not so much a justification as it is a challenge. God replies, “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 weary thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” God says to Jeremiah, “Look, if you can’t handle what is going on right now and trust Me for that, then what are you going to do when things get even more difficult?”
God builds our strength through the application of resistance. Life is not always going to be easy, but if it was always easy, we wouldn’t trust God, would we? Reliance upon God means faith, and faith is a matter of relying on the character of God. Don’t be weary in well doing. Trust God, and allow Him to build your strength by building your faith.