I generally find myself familiar with most scriptures I come across in my daily devotions. However, the other day I discovered a verse in Jeremiah that I had not seen before:
"If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?" (Jeremiah 12: 5-6 NLT)
I turned to my Bible Commentary to learn more. Jeremiah had come to the Lord with questions and discouragement. He didn't understand why those doing wrong were thriving while he was struggling. He was asking why and this was God's response.
God was telling Jeremiah that he would have even greater challenges ahead. He needed to fully depend on God. This is where Jeremiah's strength must come from. If you read further in Jeremiah you'll find that he did indeed have greater challenges ahead (Jeremiah 20: 1-3, 38: 6, 38: 13).
As I contemplated this, it occurred to me that those of us who have lost a child have found ourselves in exactly this circumstance. One moment we were racing against men and the next we were running with the horses. There was no easing into this new reality, it was immediate. Like Jeremiah, it is vital that we put our full trust in God and draw our strength from him. We cannot run with the horses on our own. We can only carry this very challenging burden with his constant help and presence. I am so thankful to have the Lord beside me every step of the way. I know I cannot go forward without him.
