“If you have run with footmen, and they wore you out, then how can you compete with horses? And if you feel secure in the land of peace, how then will you do in the thick brush of the Jordan? (Jer 12:5, AFV)
We must realize that we ourselves would be in big trouble if God gave each of us what we truly deserve as Jeremiah was saying here that God should do to certain people.
Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. “With His stripes we are healed.” {DA 25.2}
Life was extremely difficult for Jeremiah despite his love for and obedience to God. When he called to God for relief, God’s reply in effect was, “If you think this is bad, how are you going to cope when it gets really tough?” God’s answers to our most fervent prayers are not always nice or easy to handle. Any Christian who has experienced war, bereavement, or a serious illness knows this.
But because we love Jesus, we will be committed to God even when the going gets tough and when our prayers for relief are not immediately answered. We will still rejoice that all things work together for good if we love Jesus. (Rom 8:28)
Yes. Likewise, the smaller trials that Jeremiah faced then were to prepare Jeremiah for what was coming.
Rev 3:10 reminds us of the impending turmoil during earth’s final events that all Christians will have to face and find the way be prepared.
How would it change your life today if you were to think along the lines of what God is saying to Jeremiah about running with the horses?