

The Bible compares the Christian life to running in a long-distance race.
At tough times, we may feel that we’ve been running a marathon. We feel tired, thirsty, and doubtful whether we can make it to the finishing line.
But we are never alone in this struggle.
Today
I want to encourage you that we have “a great cloud of witnesses” cheering us
on from the heavenly stadium- the great men and women who have already run
their races and finished in triumph. These are our older brothers and sisters in Christ and they are very numerous!
Let’s consider the first two verses of Hebrews 12:
“…since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”.
When I first read this verse, it conjured up an image of saints walking on fluffy clouds up in the heavens, but then I read an interesting commentary by the bible teacher Rick Renner. He is a Greek scholar and explained the true meaning of the reference to clouds in the original Greek language.
“The clouds” referred to the highest seats at the top of a sporting stadium. So the verse is referring to the grandstands of heaven. The saints who went before us are surrounding us on every side as we go into the arena and cheering us on. They are people just like us, who held on to their faith and are now glorified in Heaven!
If you are seriously following the Lord, you will encounter spiritual opposition as you choose to live for him. This is especially true when you’re stepping out in obedience to do something for God. The enemy will try to make you doubt your calling, or he’ll try to wear you down with trials and temptations.
The saints of old were people just like us, who made it through their trials and did what God had called them to do. They faced tasks that seemed impossible; they stood firm and made it through fire and water, arriving at their heavenly destination with their mission accomplished. They received resounding praise from God himself.
And among this great cloud of witnesses are many inspirational women whose lives reflected their commitment to Christ. Although we often hear more about the male heroes of faith, there were many impressive women in the Bible too, including Esther (pictured below), who risked her life to save her people.
The
great cloud of witnesses is made up of both men and women who succeeded against
all of the odds and finished their earthly assignments because they trusted in
God’s power to carry them through. They fixed their eyes on Jesus rather than
on the obstacles they encountered.
So, if you know that God has given you an assignment or a gifting to use for the building of his Kingdom here on earth, you can be inspired by these dazzling examples of faith. These great men and women travelled the same spiritual road that we walk today; they were pilgrims just like us. They faced attacks of fear and discouragement-even persecution- but pressed on to victory, drawing their strength from the Holy Spirit within and from the sacraments.
So, press on, royal sons and daughters of the Most-High God. Fix your eyes on Jesus and run towards the finishing line. Use all of your talents for his glory. All of Heaven is cheering you on!