Running the Race Set Before Us

Treasures

Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.—Hebrews 12:1

In Hebrews chapter 11, which has been referred to as the “Faith Hall of Fame,” the Bible recounts the stories of the heroic men and women of faith of the Old Testament. Starting with Abel, the chapter gives a brief summary of the faith and obedience of renowned biblical characters such as Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Rahab, David, and the prophets. In Hebrews 12, the picture is painted of a stadium where the runners are set to run a race, and these heroes of the faith are depicted as the cheering section in the heavenly stadium, eagerly watching as present-day believers run the same race that they once ran.

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we are then exhorted to “lay aside every weight” (Hebrews 12:1)—the things that slow us down or hinder us from running the race that God has set before us. Sometimes runners wear weights while training, in order to build up their muscles, and at times the Lord allows us to wear a few weights to test us and strengthen our spiritual muscles. But when these have served their purpose, we are told to lay them aside and run the race.

We are also told to lay aside “the sin that so easily entangles us,” or ensnares or clings closely to us. What is sin? The New Testament uses a variety of words when speaking of sin, which are translated as transgress, miss the mark, failure, wrongdoing, deviate from the right path, unrighteousness of heart and life, ungodliness, unbelief, disobedience, and falling away. In short, sin is turning away from God, His Word, and His will. So, “let us lay aside the weights and the sins”—anything that holds us back from doing our best to be what God wants us to be and pursuing His will and ways in our lives.

Then, after laying aside all these weights and distractions and sins, we are called to “run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Not only do we have to believe in God, but we have to do His will and His work. As long as you are striving to walk in His will and His ways, you’re running the race.

We can only have the endurance and perseverance to run the race by putting our faith and trust in the Lord. If we don’t have our eyes fixed on God, we can be tempted to lose heart and quit when challenges arise and we grow weary. But the Apostle Paul points out what’s at stake and the high calling we are pursuing: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:14).

We have each been called to run a race that has been marked out for us by the Lord, and we’re to run with perseverance the race that is set before us, being faithful to follow the Lord however and wherever He has called us. The only way we can have the endurance we need to run and finish this race is by “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” We have to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and consider all that He endured for our salvation so that we don’t “become weary and discouraged in our souls” (Hebrews 12:2–3).

Keeping the faith

In his first epistle, the Apostle Peter writes about the eternal gift we have been given in Jesus of being “born again to a living hope” and “an inheritance  that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” that is being kept in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:3–4). He then goes on to speak about the trials and tests that all believers will face in this life: “Though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–7).

The Bible teaches us that the Lord will sometimes allow us to go through times of trials and tests to grow our faith and draw us close to Him. The story of Job in the Old Testament provides a good example of this.

We read in the Bible that God spoke about Job to Satan, saying “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8). But Satan challenged God, saying, “No wonder he fears You! You have hedged him about on every side to protect him and You have blessed the work of his hands and given him many possessions. Let me work him over and we’ll see if he remains faithful!” (Job 1:9–12).

So God allowed Satan to inflict many tests and afflictions on Job. Job lost his family, his wealth, and his health (Job 1:13–19). His initial reaction has resounded throughout history, as “Job fell on the ground and worshiped.” And he went on to say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:20–21).

Despite the terrible losses on every front that Job went through and struggled to make sense of, the Lord won a great victory out of what looked like a terrible defeat in the making. When things couldn’t have been going worse for Job and his future couldn’t have looked darker, he declared, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15). This is a beautiful testimony of sustaining faith in the face of great suffering, defeat, and discouragement.

The Lord rewarded Job for his faith, and we read at the end of the story that “the Lord restored the fortunes of Job … and gave him twice as much as he had before, and … blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:10–12).

While some experiences we face may be very painful at the time, we have God’s promise that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).—Not some things or certain things but all things.

One thing is certain: God knows what He’s doing, and He loves us and cares for us as our heavenly Father. Whenever we don’t understand why He allows something to happen in our lives, we have to continue to trust Him, and bring every care, concern, worry, and anxiety to Him, knowing that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We can’t always know why God allows certain things to happen, and in some cases, we may never know till we get to heaven. His Word says that just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).

One of the great questions of this life is why God allows seemingly bad or evil things to happen to people, and specifically to Christians, as His children. We can see part of the answer to that question and understand some of the reasons, but we won’t fully comprehend this until the next life when we can see the whole picture. As Paul wrote: “All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

In the meantime, we have to trust God no matter what we face, even if we don’t understand why some things happen. It could be that God permits some things to happen in our lives that we don’t understand, as Job experienced, to test our faith as we learn to trust Him no matter what. We can recite to ourselves, as Job did: “Though I have  been facing tough times and I don’t understand why, yet will I trust Him! Though I face the loss of a loved one or affliction threatens me or someone close to Me, yet will I trust Him. Though I can’t make sense of what is happening in my life or the world around me, yet will I trust Him.”

The Bible even tells us to “count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2–3). That’s the greatest victory of all, when you face overwhelming challenges that seem impossible to overcome, and yet you still persevere in your faith and unwaveringly trust the Lord. That pleases the Lord greatly when you choose to trust Him in the face of loss, tragedy, disaster, or agony.

After Hebrews 11 commemorates the martyrs and saints of the past, the chapter goes on to say that “these all died in faith” (Hebrews 11:13). That is the greatest thing that could be said of them. They died without receiving all that God had promised them—some were even martyred—but they never lost faith; they never lost heart. They died trusting God, in anticipation of the promise of a heavenly country to come, which God had prepared for them (Hebrews 11:14–16).

Despite the trials and challenges of life we as Christians will face, we can “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” because we know that we will “obtain the outcome of our faith—the salvation of our souls” (1 Peter 1:8–9). We can count our blessings even in the midst of our trials and struggles, as we keep our eyes on the promised prize waiting for us at the end of the race. We stand on the Bible’s promise that “blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

Paul’s reflections as he neared the end of his life journey offer great encouragement to all who love the Lord. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8).

May God bless you as you continue to keep the faith, run the race, and fight the good fight of faith, with your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Published on Anchor April 2025.