Last fall I had the chance to watch athletes cross the finish line for an Ironman Triathlon. This is a grueling race that requires those who enter to swim 1.2-miles, bike 56-miles, and run 13.1 miles. Some of the people who finished looked like they could do another marathon, while others barely made it across the finish line. Some who finished needed medical attention.
Watching these athletes made me think of Isaiah 40:31: “Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary (NASB).”
If you think of our faith journey as a triathlon, it’s apparent you will need to train for it. You don’t just enter this grueling race haphazardly without taking time to train, to “wait for the Lord.” It is in the waiting, the learning, the enduring difficult things, that we “gain new strength.” It teaches us to rely on God and not our own strength. We learn to pace ourselves and listen to God instead of sprinting forward on our own with no training.
When we lean on Jesus and learn from Him, we will be better equipped to run the triathlon of faith. Sometimes it will require you to swim in rough seas, bike up miles of steep hills, and run for long periods of time in intense heat. Despite the grueling conditions, with Jesus as your guide, the fatigue of the journey will not overtake you.
© 2026, Chris G. Thelen
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30, NIV
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