Running With Horses
MELISSA FAIRCHILD, COMPEL Pro Member
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“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?” Jeremiah 12:5 (NIV)
I thought I was strong — until the weight of single parenting left me gasping for air. The day-to-day felt like a race I could never win, with bills piling, loneliness pressing, and children needing more than I had to give.
I felt similar to Jeremiah in today’s key verse: I could barely keep up with the footraces of life, much less imagine running with horses.
In Jeremiah 12:1, the prophet asked God some questions many of us whisper in the dark: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” (NIV). In other words, Why does it seem like I’m barely surviving while others who don’t even honor You are thriving?
God responded, “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?” (Jeremiah 12:5a).
At first that might sound almost harsh, as though God was brushing off Jeremiah’s pain. But God wasn’t dismissing Jeremiah; He was preparing him.
It’s like God was saying, This isn’t the end of your story. If you’re tired here, in the “safe country,” how will you endure when the path gets wilder, the stakes higher? I am training you for more.
What looked to Jeremiah like opposition was actually preparation. The weariness of his current footrace was building the endurance he would need for harder seasons ahead.
I think about my own life through that lens. The job loss that unraveled my security. The rejection that made me question my worth. The long nights of single parenting where exhaustion sang louder than hope. Each of those races left me breathless, but they also became my training ground. They were not wasted. They were building spiritual muscle memory for the moments God would ask me to step into deeper waters and denser thickets — yes, even to run with horses.
Friend, maybe you’re in your own footrace today, weary from the grind, confused by the unfairness, wondering why others seem to flourish while you’re just holding on. Can I whisper this encouragement? What you’re facing is not the finish line. It’s the training ground. God sees your exhaustion, and He isn’t shaming you for it. He’s strengthening you through it.
For those following hard after God, the race will quicken. The call will grow louder. And you and I will find that the hard things that left us stumbling have now equipped us to run with endurance we didn’t know we had.
Lord, You see my tired places where I feel worn out from the everyday race. Thank You that You don’t shame my weakness — You strengthen me. Train my heart to lean on You, not my own stamina. When the path gets harder and the pace picks up, remind me that I don’t run alone. Teach me to run with You, even as fast as horses. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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ENGAGE
The author of today’s devotion, Melissa Fairchild, is a member of COMPEL Pro Writers Training and a recent winner of our Encouragement for Today Devotion Writing Challenge. We celebrate the way God is growing and using her gift of writing.
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us …” (NIV).
Where in your life do you feel like you’re worn out or stumbling? How might God be using this season to build endurance in you for something greater?
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.
© 2026 by Melissa Fairchild. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
