"If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the flooding of the Jordan?" (Jeremiah 12:5). Jeremiah, as others before him, could not understand the enemies of God prospering and bearing fruit, and even though he realized that God was righteous, he wanted to point out their wickedness compared to His faithfulness.

One of the most important priorities in the Christian life is to replace our human viewpoint with God's wisdom revealed in His Word. The more Bible doctrine we assimilate, the better we understand God's dealing with human beings. If only we viewed life as the Lord does! When we have a problem, we focus on the problem instead of following His directions in dealing with the difficulty. We are told in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

How can God and Paul say our afflictions are light? They are light when we compare them with Eternity. When we study the life of the Apostle Paul after he trusted Christ, we marvel at the suffering he endured for the Gospel, but it was possible because of the grace of God which was with him.

The key to living a joyful and successful Christian life is to be focused on our Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah was doubting God's judgment in His dealing with the wicked because he was focusing on the wicked instead of on the Lord. The more we learn about the Lord, the more precious He becomes. Studying the attributes of God reveals that He is always just. He will never be unjust in His dealing with any one of us.

God does not tell Jeremiah to cheer up, and that everything will be all right. He confronts him with the truth; if you are weary running with the footmen, how can you keep up with the horses? If you can't handle the thought of your enemies prospering, how can you survive your own family, your brethren, dealing treacherously with you?

Dear Believer, God has made a perfect provision for us in His Word. When we believe what God believes about the cross-work of His Son on Calvary, at least 36 benefits become ours immediately. We are forgiven our past, present, and future sins. We receive His righteousness. We are made joint heirs with Christ. He will never leave us or forsake us. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We, in ourselves, are not capable of running with the footmen without being weary. The only answer is, "...we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." (Romans 8:37).