Jeremiah 12:5 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?”

This was not the answer Jeremiah was looking for! God knows what we are going to face in the future, so he allows various “training exercises” to prepare us for that future. The Bill Gaither song, The Longer I Serve Him, is true enough, but it is also true that the trials also have a way of escalating. God indeed has “perfect rest” planned and promised for us, but that’s not in this life. My mother had a way of praying for people in difficulties: “Lord, keep them from unnecessary pain.” Sometimes pain is a blessing, because it can be a valuable diagnostic tool, or even an indication that a problem is being dealt with. Sometimes God saves us out of our circumstances, but more often He saves us in our circumstances or even through them. We are quick to complain about all sorts of things. Jeremiah was complaining about perceived injustice, because people who were mocking God seemed to have it much easier than he did. We know from the whole of the Bible that’s no big deal, because it’s strictly temporary. God went on to tell Jeremiah that his own relatives would betray him and act as his enemies, and that would be much harder to deal with than some rich jerk. We live in a fallen world, and stuff certainly happens. However, when our hearts are at rest in Christ, we can deal with it all and still praise God, with peace and joy.

This of course brings me back to what the Lord said to me personally, to “rest, relax, and rejoice.” He has also reminded me of this verse numbers of times. I can only respond with a wry grin and a “Yes, Sir.” Looking back over my life I can certainly see how God has used one experience to prepare me for another. I don’t know my future in this life any more than anyone else does, but I do know that God is preparing and has prepared me for it, and by His grace I’ll get through it with the joy of seeing Him at work.

Father, thank You for all You do in my life. Recent events have been wearing, but they are certainly minor compared to what brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing in other parts of the world. Hearing that testimony yesterday via the Internet of the girl who saw her father and brother killed in front of her because they would not renounce Christ was a good reminder. Help me walk in daily obedience, not complaining but giving You the thanks, praise, and obedience You deserve, because Your plans are always perfect, whatever they look like to me in the short run. Thank You. Praise God!