Jeremiah 12:5 “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?
Dynamic stretching and warm-ups will help an athlete avoid muscle injuries, increase joint flexibility, and optimize performance. The repercussions of not dynamic stretching before training could be arrhythmia, muscle strains/sprains and joint injuries. Similarly, we don’t warm-up and workout or train in the middle of a spiritual battle. If we start praying only when we are hit with problems, we are not warmed up and ready for the fight. Consequently, our spiritual muscles would get injured and fatigued. When we hear people say, ‘This is too tough, I cannot go on anymore’, it simply means that they have not warmed up for the battle that they are in.
Our prayer time in the prayer closet is our warm-up session for the day. Reading and ruminating on the Word of God is our nourishment that strengthens our spiritual muscles for the battle. If we are sporadic in our daily prayer time with the Lord our spiritual muscles will become stiff and lack of discipline in meditating on God’s Word will make our inner man malnourished. Then, the cares and wars of life will make us weary and worn-out.
Prophet Jeremiah spoke in parables, allegories and metaphors to the stiff necked generation. He said that their spiritual muscles were weak and bulky that they could not even run with the cavalry. Running the race of men was a metaphor of living victoriously in their normal day to day life. He then questioned their stamina to contest with the horses which again is a metaphor for ‘troubled times’.
Warm-up, Workout and Win the Race:
1. Warm-up: Every minute we spend in prayer and praise warms up our spiritual muscles and makes us bold, courageous and resilient. We can miss any other appointment except our appointment with the Lord.
2. Workout: Methodical and regular reading of the Word of God and fasting along with prayer are workout sessions that prepare us for the race. If we are fatigued and fearful it is time to increase our prayer workout sessions. Weariness is a clear indication to boost our prayer workout.
3. Win: Winners are anointed to win the war. No problem, peril or prognosis is too tough for a prayer warrior as the Lord God Almighty is their strength.
Enjoy your warm-up sessions of prayer and praise, build muscles with regular workouts of fasting and prayer and win the race triumphantly.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, may the importance of prayer, fasting and reading the word never escape my attention. Teach me to warm-up everyday and workout regularly and be ready to win the race. Amen.
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