Things will get tougher

“‘If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5 NLT

In an article titled “Man v horse: Powys race won by runner Ricky Lightfoot” published by the BBC yesterday, it was reported that trail runner Ricky Lightfoot became the third person to ever win the man versus horse race since it’s debut in 1980. Crossing the line, the 6ft 4in (1.93m) athlete had no idea whether he had won as the people and animals take slightly different routes. After asking around, he discovered he had come came out on top against 1,000 runners and 50 horses with a time of 2:22:23. He took home £3,500 after beating the first horse by more than two minutes on the 22.5-mile (36km) course in Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys. The 37-year-old Cumbrian said winning was "pretty good, like.” Race director Mike Thomas said Mr Lightfoot, a member of Cumbria running club Ellenborough AC, beat the horses "quite comfortably" on Saturday. The last time a human beat a horse in the race was in 2007, and the first time was in 2004.

And you know, like many believers in our world today watching the evil schemes of wicked, ungodly, and immoral people, governments and organizations seemingly flourish and thrive, the prophet Jeremiah asked the Lord, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” To which God met Jeremiah with a question of His own, “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses?" God didn’t give a doctrinal answer but issued a challenge instead adding, “If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?” In other words, “How can you handle what’s to come Jeremiah if you can’t even handle today? You think times are tough now, you just wait.” It was a reminder to Jeremiah and to us to stand strong and hang in there! Things will most definitely get tougher in the coming days—but we can take heart knowing that Jesus is coming back and that justice will prevail in the end.

So while you and I may never be fast enough to beat 1,000 runners or 50 horses in a foot competition, we will through Christ have the speed and strength to overcome every obstacle in our way and make it to the finish line. So stand firm my friend and press on. The race is almost over and we will soon be going home!

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that there are harder times to come in the days ahead; times that we need to begin preparing ourselves to overcome right now. With that in mind, give us a zeal for prayer, Bible study, and fellowship Lord that we would not only be ready ourselves but have the relationships in place that will ensure we stay in the race until the end and inspire others to do the same. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!