Running With Horses (Part 1)

Jeremiah had a calling to preach and live out the word of God to a people who were all but apostate, with their hearts hardened against the One True God. His would not be an easy calling. He would face intense opposition, persecution and experience great suffering. This event created a “standing at the crossroads,” “personal moment of truth,” or a “defining time” for Jeremiah.

These are the kinds of defining moments that leaders who will be used by God experience. These are the times when we make decisions that will set us on a path to becoming a certain kind of person and a certain kind of leader. May Jesus grant us the will to choose abundant life and the ability to run with the horses.

Jeremiah 12:5 is a memorable passage concerning Jeremiah’s life when, worn down by the opposition and absorbed in self-pity, he was about to give in to a premature death. He was ready to abandon his unique calling in God and settle for being a Jerusalem statistic. At that critical moment he heard the reprimand: 

“If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordon?” 

God was saying to Jeremiah:
"What do you want to achieve? Greater riches? A happier life, a longer life? Is it power over your neighbors that you are after? Are you only running away from your death or are you seeking greater wisdom, deeper piety? Life is difficult Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition? Are you going to retreat when you find that there is more to life than finding three meals a day and a dry place to sleep at night? Are you going to run home the minute you find that the mass of men and women are more interested in keeping their feet warm than in living at risk to the glory of God? Are you going to live cautiously or courageously? I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, and to sustain a drive toward excellence."

It is easier, I know, to be neurotic. It is easier to be parasitic. It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of the average. Easier, but not better, not more significant, or not more fulfilling.

God said to Jeremiah,"I called you to live a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny. Now at the first sign of difficulty you are ready to quit. If you are fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of apathetic mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts, the race with the swift and determined horses of excellence? What is it you really want, Jeremiah? Do you want to shuffle along with the crowd, or run with the horses?"

It is understandable that there are retreats from excellence, veering away from risk, even withdrawals from faith. It is easier to define oneself minimally and live securely within that definition than to be defined maximally and live adventurously in that reality.

It is unlikely, I think, that Jeremiah was spontaneous or quick in his reply to God’s question. The ideals for a new life had been splattered with the world’s cynicism. The impetus of youthful enthusiasm no longer carried him. He weighed the options. He counted the cost. He tossed and turned in hesitation. The response when it came was not verbal but biographical. His life became his answer.

He determined, “I’ll run with the horses.” 

Hey friend, will you run with the horses?