“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
It is in the middle ground where we most experience the necessity to endure. It is in equal measure also where we experience the power of God shaping us.
It is the space in between a promise and it’s fulfilment. Our frustration is where we misidentify this as a place of delay. Instead we must regard it a place of developing and preparation.
Then the narrative changes to being an over comer, having a victory and stepping forward.
Our prayer becomes one of asking how we occupy the space, what is God’s purpose. Hope and expectation a renewed instead of feeling disappointment in hope deferred.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”
If we feel fatigued and weary it is as a result of hope deferred. Our strength is connected to our hope. Hope is sustained by our faith in what is unseen.
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?”
The whole of Hebrews 11 builds upon not wavering from a confidence in what is unseen but is believed in because of our faith in a promise.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hope is a work of God through the Holy Spirits persistence within us. God is fine with our lack of ease and discomfort if He knows it is unto us gaining eternal hope and becoming grafted closer into Him.
The Holy Spirit exposes where our choices do not hinge on our belief that God is good, God is faithful.
Illogical hope can manifest when we trust and put our hope in God’s faithfulness. The hope is in the person of Jesus re-tethering us back to Him in all choices.
We let go of our own expectations and make room for Him. It is when we put our hope in preferring our own plans that we become disappointed.
“But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.”
Our hope put in Him is equal to our praise and worship and sustains us in the middle ground where uncertainty can lurk. Indeed the middle ground gives us an opportunity to live in faith and hope.
Therefore the biggest lessons of faith and hope are often found in pain and chaos. It is the place God can form, fashion and reshape us and should therefore not be disdained but welcome.
Having to depend on God and not ourselves is the space for our biggest breakthroughs.
Self reliance and dependency has to be shaken out of us. We succumb to knowing we do not have all the answers. We learn to steward new life in the joy of what He will set before us. We learn to sacrifice and lay down on the altar our self absorption.
We ruthlessly throw off the baggage, weight and habits that we already carry that hinder how we run the race.
The illustration shows us supported and pushed up higher in the middle of our race by the hand of God. In the rest of relying in Him we are strengthened to endure and move forwards emanating light that pushes back the darkness.
Five Scriptures that come to mind:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 ESV
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?” Romans 8:24 ESV
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 ESV
“But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.”Psalm 71:14 ESV
The song Plans. Rend Collective
Lessisgreater 