In the verses preceding this one, Jeremiah asked God why He would allow those who were persecuting him to be blessed and prosper. God’s response directed Jeremiah to the truth that what he was facing now was only preparation for the challenges he would face in the future. He needed to learn how to trust God and draw from His strength in these meagre challenges to prepare him for the things to come.
We all have dreams we wish to achieve for God’s kingdom. We want Him to use us more and to see His glory significantly impact this world. Yet many of us are unable or unwilling to overcome the small battles we are presently facing. We think that if God could spare us from them we would be able to move forward in life; not realising our need to learn how to overcome before we can see Him move greatly in and through our lives.
David, the young shepherd boy who faced and defeated Goliath, had to learn how to trust in the Lord to slay the lion and the bear before he had the confidence and courage to believe God to use him to slay the giant. We will always need to fight the good fight of faith on this side of heaven. Until we learn to overcome the present battles, we will never be able to overcome the greater ones that lead us into greater victories.