Listen To The Crowd And Look Upon Our Example

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:1-2 AV)

 There are two supportive entities that are constantly motivating the saint to run well.  The first is the group of saints listed in the previous chapter.  That is the great cloud of witnesses.  These range from Abel to Jonah.  Many are named.  Many more are not.  These Old Testament saints have served the LORD in great faith.  Some failed here and there. Some of those failures were rather severe.  Others, like Daniel or Isaiah, served God with nary a mention of failure.  The number of mistakes is irrelevant.  At least as it concerns being a motivation for others.  What matters more than the mistakes are the successes.  One might argue that Samson was a walking disaster.  And you might be partially right.  But the Bible tells us he slew more of the enemy in his death than he ever did in his life.  These saints are recorded for us to take solace that we are not alone and whatever race He has set before us can be run.  The second witness is the LORD Jesus Christ Himself.  He is the author and finisher of our faith.  He endured the cross and now is set down at the right hand of the Father.  He is our example of faithfulness in the discharge of one’s calling.  Jesus suffered far more than we ever will and now sits victorious over sin and death.  He sits at the finish line to cheer us on.  These two combine to motivate and encourage the saint in his struggle to finish well.  Or, finish at all.

I ran track in grade school.  For a few years, anyway.  I was a sprinter and not a marathoner.  The heats that I ran in were the dashes and the relays.  I noticed something rather discouraging.  When it came to sports, track was not well attended.  Football, basketball, baseball, softball, and even soccer were much more popular.  It was not out of the ordinary to have to bring one’s own lawn chair because there was no room in the bleachers.  The crowd was sparse.  The cheering somewhat dulled.  There were no large crowds.  There were no cheerleaders.  If there was an announcer, he usually butchered your last name.  Most of the time, family didn’t even come.  The only spectators were largely other teammates.  Needless to say, this made doing our best more difficult than it had to be.  2020 was a weird year for professional sports.  Because of COVID, stadiums were empty.  Ballparks and no attendance.  Competitors and their coaches were the only ones present.  When the crowds did return, the players remarked how much different it was.  They never know how important the crowd of witnesses was until they didn’t have them anymore.  Encouragement means a lot. It can change the trajectory of a life.  If others believe we can do it, then by God’s grace, we will believe it, too.  When it comes to running the relay, being the last runner has its advantages.  One of them being teammates at the end of the finishing line.  They have already run their leg and are standing at the line, cheering the anchor to victory.  Many races have been won because there are three or four teammates at the end of the race yelling at the top of their lungs for the final runner to finish well.

Our race is a difficult one.  There isn’t any such thing as an easy race.  You could call an easy one a walk rather than a run.  If we are not careful, we can forget the voices that carry to the soul as a means of encouragement to finish well.  We can drown out the yells of confidence that permeate the race because we are too focused on the sore muscles, the sweat, or the need for water.  If we are not careful, our eyes can be on our feet more than on the LORD Jesus Christ as He beckons from the finish line.  We can forget very easily we are not alone.  We can be so overwhelmed by the sheer pain of the race that we cannot see the end from the beginning.  But there it is!  There is yellow tape across the finish line.  There are no more runners competing against us.  It is our race.  It is ours alone.  Others have run similar races.  But that tape us ours to break.  All we need to do is cross it.  If we fall among the cinders, get up and continue on.  If we get in the wrong lane, make an adjustment and get back on.  No matter the cost, finish.  There is a multitude of voices shouting words of affirmation.  But, above all, there is a Savior who loves us and appreciates that we are in the race.  He is egging us on to cross that line with the tape around our chest and not at our feet.  Finish well!