Compiling a Witness List

“Therefore, 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. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)

When I was a college student, I remember being told that my campus minister was up by 4 AM and typically read the Scriptures and prayed for several hours. I also remember in the early years of my spiritual journey reading books by authors such as Corrie ten Boom, Dietrich Bonheoffer, C.S. Lewis, and Joni Eareckson Tada, people who discovered God’s goodness in the midst of suffering. And I remember in those early years meeting followers of Jesus from foreign lands or working in them that, while enduring great hardship and challenges, lived their lives with great joy.

These are the “great cloud of witnesses” in my life that gave me encouragement to stay on the narrow path that leads to life when it would have been very easy to leave it when life became so hard. As I have moved on down the road of life, I have picked up additional witnesses along the way. Just yesterday, at a prayer gathering on campus to pray for the campus and the students on it, an elderly gentleman prayed and I found myself so encouraged and uplifted, not only by his words, but also by the strength and earnestness of them. I later learned he once was the Chancellor of Appalachian State University.

Life is sometimes such a struggle that we need all the encouragement we can get. This is the point of the Hebrew writer listing all the faithful people who had lived prior to Jesus coming to earth in the previous chapter. He was showing it is possible to continue on in the faith even if life seems stacked against us and God seems distant. These “witnesses” were an encouragement to him because of the way they lived and kept their eyes fixed on Jesus.

Most of our lives will be long and there will be many low times, times where we are weary, discouraged, apathetic, or full of doubt. In order to navigate these turbulent times, we need our own witness list from which to gain strength, hope and encouragement to continue on.

Today, consider whom you can put on your witness list. Who have you known or read about whose faith inspires you?  Put them on your list and keep your eyes open for others. For there will soon come a time when you will need them as inspiration and encouragement to continue fixing your eyes on Jesus.

© Jim Musser 2018