40-Day Devotion, Day 39

PREPARATION: READ HEBREWS 12:1-3 & ISAIAH 40:28-31

Run And Don’t Grow Weary

One of the great traditions of the Summer Olympics is that the games close with the running of the Marathon. It’s the perfect event because of the athletic commitment required to succeed. Competitors race for over 26 miles before ending up back at the Olympic stadium, where they wearily run through the tunnel and emerge on the track, surrounded by thousands of cheering spectators. Just watching them run is painful. Their exhaustion is obvious; their movements deliberate. Still, as each runner passes the section of seats represented by his home countrymen, you can see the difference. His pace quickens. His step becomes lighter. Just the encouragement of friends makes all the difference.

In essence, that is the image painted in today’s theme verse from Hebrews. A “cloud of witnesses” describes the fans seated around a track, cheering on the competitors. Who are they cheering? Who are the ones laboring on the track? We are. New Testament writers often compared our Christian experience to a race, especially emphasizing the training and perseverance needed to finish.

I used to jog in college, and I remember the endurance it required. So many nights I found myself wanting to skip going to the track. On those nights my legs felt heavy and my muscles were stiff. My breath would explode in fiery rasps, making it hard to catch the next one. But as much as I wanted to quit and walk home, my brain knew that if I could just keep running, eventually things would get easier. And when I forgot, my running partner was there to remind me.

Since I have matured in my faith, I have found some of those same feelings associated with my walk with Christ. I have an embarrassing list of spiritual failures – times when I struggled to pray; times when I failed my friends; times when my behavior didn’t match my doctrine. During those times I experienced those same old feelings from my running days – heavy spiritual legs, aching spiritual muscles, a strong desire to quit and lie down. I knew I need to keep moving... but it was just so hard!

So what do we do when those feelings creep in and doing what’s right seems too tough? According to the writer of Hebrews, one answer lies in the encouragement of those who surround us – those who cheer us on. Who are they? Certainly your Pinedale family could be included, as could your friends from Community Bible Study or HBF. But there are more faces in the crowd – people who have already succeeded in this race and have the scars to prove it.

Consider the placement of Hebrews 12:1. It immediately follows Hebrews 11, often called the “Faith Hall of Fame.” You know the names on the list: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Samuel, David, and so many more. As the list ends and chapter 12 begins, the writer looks back on that prestigious list and says, “THEREFORE, since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses...” In other words, since all of these people are cheering us along, we should throw off whatever hinders us and push for the finish line.

Get the image in your mind. As I enter the stadium limping and tired and look towards the stands I see all those who came before me. Their stories are on my lips. Their legacies surround me.
• When I struggle with waiting on God, I hear the encouragement of Abraham in my ears.
• When I fear to do what God has asked, I look towards Samuel, and his courage inspires me.
• When I struggle with self-esteem, I search the crowd for Moses and I remember how God used him. I’m sure God can use me, too.
• When I fall into sin and despair, I turn to David and remember how God’s grace lifted him back on his feet.

For each situation I face, I find someone who has been there; who understands. His or her encouragement lightens my steps and puts air back in my lungs. Then my eyes move to the finish line. There stands Jesus. His eyes don’t stray from me. His words lighten my load. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” He whispers. As I watch Him and keep moving, I find that I always have strength for one more step. I need that strength. We all do.

Our world seems dark and dangerous, but the fields are white, ready for harvest. God needs workers and He has called us. Look around at the legacies of those in the crowd. Consider the lives of the forerunners of our faith – the heroes of the Bible; the fathers of our Church; those martyrs that sacrificed everything for the sake of the cross. Each one found a way to shine in the place and time in which he lived. Each one faced weariness and exhaustion and fear and even doubt. But they persevered. They kept the banner of Christ flying high.
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