This past week, Bev and I visited pastor Don Pirwitz and our church congregation in Springfield, Missouri. We were invited for the annual Women's Enrichment Weekend. An ice storm passed through and caused the cancellation of morning Sabbath services, but by midday the roads were passable and the women's event continued without a hitch!

Merna Eppick, one of the organizers, writes this report:

"We had 40 women in attendance from around the region as well as Alabama, Georgia, Baltimore and Cincinnati.

"Each presenter gave their message centered around the theme 'Running with Horses—Becoming Spiritually Fit.' Each provided us with tools for our spiritual journey including ways to stay focused on our prayer and Bible study, things that may distract us, staying the course in tough times, not growing weary and loving our 'lemons' (trials). We were given pointers about horse training and its association to our training as Christians. Finally, we were given lessons from horses ending with 'Gallop to Greatness' and claiming the prize of overcomers from Revelation. A highlight was getting an update about 'other sheep' from around the world and their dedication to God's way and adoption of the fundamental beliefs of the United Church of God."

Running With The Horses

I applaud the choice of the courageous theme of "Running with Horses," which is based on Jeremiah 12:5: "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?"

The message is profound not only for emboldening us to persevere, but one that gives insight and direction into how God uses His servants to do His Work. This includes the type of message that needs to be delivered and what kind of outcomes we can expect as a result.

Jeremiah summarizes his commission and message in chapter 25:

"This message for all the people of Judah came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign over Judah. This was the year when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began his reign.

"Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem, 'For the past twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until now—the LORD has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened.

"'Again and again the LORD has sent you His servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention. Each time the message was this: "Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the LORD gave to you and your ancestors forever. Do not provoke My anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you."

"'But you would not listen to me,' says the LORD. 'You made Me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer. And now the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: Because you have not listened to Me, I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as My deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever. I will take away your happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. Your millstones will fall silent, and the lights in your homes will go out. This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years'" (Jeremiah 25:1-11, New Living Translation).

Jeremiah's message was not popular. It was not well-received, and the response was not only poor but hateful from both the king and from the general population. Jeremiah's message was ignored and what response there was negative and seemingly ineffective. There was nothing he could do to improve his message or make it appealing.

His message was an indictment of a nation that was delivered from slavery in Egypt to become an example of God's graciousness (Jeremiah 31:2) to surrounding nations. Israel was to show the benefits of loving and obeying God. Instead, they abandoned the True God and adopted the gods of the neighboring nations, leading to evil and immoral practices. This resulted in curse after curse upon themselves. Again and again Jeremiah pleaded and forewarned Judah of invasion and captivity but they would not listen.

Jeremiah was devastated with the results of his ministry, hence his question and plea to God: "Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind" (Jeremiah 12:1-2).

He further adds: "But You, O LORD, know me; You have seen me, and You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, for the wickedness of those who dwell there, because they said, 'He will not see our final end'" (Jeremiah 12:3-4).

Jeremiah complained that he had done what God wanted him to do and what was the result? Those around him hated him. Some wanted to kill him. The rulers of Judah were annoyed by his constant accusations. Jeremiah was devastated and sought sympathy.

God's response to him was the theme of the Women's Enrichment Weekend: "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 floodplain of the Jordan?" (Jeremiah 12:5).

God told Jeremiah not to become weary of what he was doing. There are bigger things ahead: "Jeremiah, you haven't seen anything yet!" Also, if you can't deal in times of what appears to be relative peace, what will you do when there is real trouble in the floodplain or dangerous thickets of the Jordan?

What's the lesson for us? Do we feel, too, that our preaching falls on deaf ears with relatively few responding?

Much of our message of the Gospel of the Kingdom has some similarities to Jeremiah's. It's a call to repentance to a world whose consciousness is seared from wanting any relationship with their Creator God. It is not listening. We only annoy those who may hear what we have to say.

But, a time of judgment is sure to come. Our messages of prophetic events involve knowledge of what's ahead. It's not just the progression of events, but a similar message of turning to our Creator God.

Jeremiah further indicts the preachers of Israel who misled the people and didn't provide moral direction for the nation:

"'Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!' says the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: 'You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings'" (Jeremiah 23:1-2).

"Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed" (Jeremiah 6:13-15).

We live in such times. Our blessed nation is oblivious to approaching destruction—like Judah of old felt it could weather the political conditions of its time. The nations were morally bankrupt and far from God. There was no shame.

This is where we are now.

Perhaps what we say will produce the same effect as Jeremiah's message. But we should not be discouraged. God gives us encouragement to continue. And He has greater assignments ahead for those He works with.

And Jeremiah prophesies the wonderful New Covenant where hard hearts will be changed through God's Holy Spirit: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:31-33).

This is truly the finest finish that one could ask for, after running with the horses. Let's take heart in the message of Jeremiah.

Let's prepare ourselves to run with the horses!