RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

We’ve been watching the Olympics at my house. Have you? We love the swimming, the gymnastics, the beach volleyball, the diving. But I feel so sorry for those divers because of the algae in their pool – yuck!  On Thursday night, twenty year old Simone Manuel made history as the first African-American woman to medal in an individual swimming event. She set at Olympic record in the women’s 100 meter freestyle. When she finished the race and looked up at the board the look on her face was one of shock as she realized she has won the gold. She was not favored to win. When she was interviewed shortly after the race, she gave all the glory to God. Simone is clearly a young woman of faith. She has worked hard to achieve her goals. All these athletes train hard. They talk about how they miss other events at school: prom, homecoming, football games, all because they are at the gym or the swim club working out. But they persevere. They have a goal. To be the best they can be. To be the best in their chosen sport. And when they get to the Olympic Games it is all worth it. The look on Simone Manuel’s face said it all. Run, or swim, with perseverance, and you will reach your goal. 

In this letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:29 - 12:2 for those following along from afar), the writer is also talking about perseverance. He reminds us of the history of the people of Israel: how they passed through the Red Sea on dry land when the Egyptians were drowned. How they encircled Jericho for seven days and the walls fell down. Do you remember those stories? The people of Israel were living as slaves in Egypt. God sent Moses to Pharaoh and Moses said, “Let my people go.” Pharaoh refused so God sent plagues of frogs and locusts and thunderstorms and boils. Finally Pharaoh let them go but then once they left Pharaoh sent an army after them. In a dramatic scene God parted the Red Sea to save God’s people. Once the Israelites were safely across the Sea, God sent the water back upon the Egyptian army. This is a story of God’s faithfulness to God’s people who had faith and persevered. They did not give up. They stayed with Moses for forty years in the wilderness on their journey to the Promised Land. 

In our scripture for today, the writer, then talks about the great cloud of witnesses: “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” That’s quite a list.  

These leaders faced obstacles, but they did not give up. They were not perfect, by any means. But they were faithful. They saw a goal set before them, and they worked toward that goal. They put their faith in God and God did not disappoint them. 

You probably have your own cloud of witnesses: people who have gone before you in the faith who have inspired you. Who are they? Did your parents teach you to pray and to put your trust in God? Did a friend in school encourage you in your faith? Perhaps a youth leader or a Sunday School teacher? Maybe it was your spouse who modeled for you a life of faith. Maybe there are great leaders from history whom you admire. They encourage you to follow Jesus. Picture that cloud of witnesses in your mind right now, those people who have encouraged you. Give thanks that those people modeled faith for you and have encouraged you on your journey. 

But friends there are times when we want to give up on the race that is set before us, don’t we? We get discouraged. There are so many bad things that happen in the world. We hit obstacles. How can we put our trust in God? I am sure there were times when those great leaders in the Bible got discouraged. They wanted to give up. Moses wanted to give up before he even started. He told God he was not worthy to lead the people. He was not eloquent enough. He did not have the skills to be a great leader. But God had other things in mind. And so Moses reluctantly agreed to be God’s servant leader.  

Do you think those Olympic athletes ever faced challenges? How many times do you supposed the gymnasts fall off the balance beam while learning a new skill? How many times do the hurdlers hit the hurdles they are trying to jump over? But they persevere. Because they have a goal out in front of them. 

Do you have a goal? What is your goal? Is there something left in your life that you really want to accomplish? What is it? Have you asked God to help you? Do you have an obstacle that is getting in your way? What is that obstacle? Have you asked God to help you overcome that obstacle? 

God will help you. God will send you friends to help you. God will send you coaches and mentors to help you. God will send you that great cloud of witnesses to give you wisdom. Whatever race you are running, if you persevere, you will get to the finish line. That is the promise of today’s scripture. We can set aside any weight that is weighing us down. And Jesus who is the perfecter of faith will come along beside us and run the race with us. You are not alone in your race. Jesus is with you. God is with you, running the race with you. 

We’ve heard and seen some inspiring stories come out of Rio de Janeiro and the 31^st Olympic Games. But I love this story from the 1992 Olympics. Derek Redmond was running the race of his life. He was a medal contender. But he tore a hamstring part way into the race. Not one to give up, he was determined to cross the finish line. His father came out of the stands, and helped him across. This video says it all. Derek Redmond’s father is like God in this story. God comes alongside us, when we are weak, and can’t get across the finish lines of our lives. God sustains us and carries us through. Put your trust in God. God will get you through any race you run.  Run your race with perseverance. Let’s watch the video.