Running With Horses

“RUNNING WITH HORSES”

TEXT

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?” (Jer. 12:5)

PROLOGUE

Question: when God asked Jeremiah the question, “If you can't run with men, how will you run with horses?” Is he defining purpose behind the trials of life are we in training for bigger things?

You are not going to like the answer:

THE STRENGTH YOU ARE PRAYING FOR IS BUILT INSIDE THE TRIAL YOU ARE PRAYING TO ESCAPE.

Jeremiah is overwhelmed.

He has grown weary—not from enemies with swords, but from people with opinions.

Before he ever faces kings or nations, he is worn down by hometown critics. In that moment, God does not sympathize—He strengthens.

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses?” (Jer. 12:5)

Here is the divine principle tucked inside the question:

The strength you are praying for is built inside the trial you are praying to escape.

We often ask God to deliver us from the very thing He is using to prepare us for what lies ahead.

I. GOD DOES NOT WASTE A TRIAL

1. Jeremiah is weary from local opposition

2. God does not remove the burden—He reframes it

3. The present difficulty is not punishment but preparation

4. What feels like resistance is actually refinement

Hardships are not meant to stop you, but to strengthen you.

Hardships are not divine detours — they are divine development.

“The trial of your faith… is more precious than gold.” (1 Peter 1:7)

God is not simply getting you through this — He is building someone stronger on the other side of it.

II. SMALL TRIALS ARE GOD’S TRAINING GROUND FOR GREATER WORK

1. If the footmen wear you out, you are not yet ready for the horses

2. God always begins training in the ordinary before the extraordinary

3. You must prove faithful “in little” before God entrusts “much”

4. Strength is built — not given — through endurance

The battle you’re fighting today is shaping you for battles you cannot see yet.

God is not preparing the path for you — He is preparing you for the path.

III. SCRIPTURE CONNECTS THIS SAME PRINCIPLE ELSEWHERE

Trial Passage Training Purpose

James 1:2–4 Trials ? maturity, “lacking nothing”

Romans 5:3–4 Tribulation ? perseverance ? character ? hope

2 Cor. 4:17 “Light affliction” ? “eternal weight of glory”

Hebrews 12:5–11 Discipline builds strength to share His holiness

Luke 16:10 Faithful in little ? entrusted with much

So Yes — We Are “In Training for Bigger Things”

Jeremiah wasn’t being rebuked for weakness —

he was being recalibrated toward purpose.

God was saying:

“This isn’t punishment — it’s preparation.”

Suffering is often not a setback but a strengthening.

The trials we face now are conditioning our soul for the greater responsibility of spiritual leadership, endurance, and eternal reward.

IV. THIS PRINCIPLE IS FOUND THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE

1. David – lion and bear before Goliath

2. Joseph – pit and prison before palace

3. Israel – wilderness before Promised Land

4. The Apostles – storms before Pentecost

5. Jesus – wilderness before public ministry

God never promotes before He prepares.

“Before honor is humility.” (Prov. 15:33)

God always trains His servants before He trusts them with greater assignment.

V. GOD SEES A FUTURE YOU CANNOT SEE

1. God is preparing you for a responsibility that requires stronger shoulders

2. Present trials are evidence of divine confidence in your future

3. When God allows pressure, it is because He is building capacity

4. You are being fitted for a bigger load and a greater ministry

What is painful today is part of God’s preparation for tomorrow.

VI. HOW TO “RUN WITH HORSES”

1. Stop viewing trials as interruptions — they are part of God’s curriculum

2. Lean into God, not out of the struggle

3. Remember you are being shaped for eternal usefulness

4. Trust the Trainer — He knows what race lies ahead

THE STRENGTH YOU ARE PRAYING FOR IS BUILT INSIDE THE TRIAL YOU ARE PRAYING TO ESCAPE.

EPILOGUE

The message God gave Jeremiah is the same message He gives us:

“You think this is the finish line — but this is only warm-up.”

If life feels intense today, it is because the assignment tomorrow will require spiritual muscle you do not yet have. God is not merely helping you endure — He is preparing you to excel. He is building you into someone who can “run with the horses.”

INVITATION

Are you asking God to remove the very thing He is using to prepare you?

Are you praying for strength — while avoiding the training ground that builds it?

Today’s invitation is simple:

• Don’t ask God merely for escape —