Hebrews 11 is the great hall of faith. We read the names and we marvel. Abel worshipped. Enoch walked with God. Noah built. Abraham obeyed. Moses chose the reproach of Christ over the treasures of Egypt. Some built arks, and some built walls. Some defeated kingdoms, and some were cut in two. They were not perfect people, but they believed a perfect God.

And here is the wonder of it. They never held the promise in their hands. They saw it from a distance, through types and shadows and the pictures of the lamb and the blood. They believed the spoken Word of God about a coming Saviour, and they ran their race without ever seeing Him with their eyes. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.

We stand on the other side of the cross. We do not look ahead to Calvary, we look back to it. We have the testimony of Jesus, and we have the Word of God written and in our hands. The faith that Abraham saw faintly, we now see in the face of the Saviour. He is the Author of our faith, for He began the work in us. He is the Finisher of our faith, for what He began He will surely complete. He ran our race perfectly. He endured the cross. He despised the shame. And He is now seated at the right hand of God.

So the writer of Hebrews points to that great cloud of witnesses, and then he points to you. Lay aside the weight. Lay aside the sin. Run the race with patience. And do not run it staring at your problems, or comparing yourself to others, or looking back at yesterday’s failures. Run it looking unto Jesus.

One day the saints who looked forward to Christ and the saints who now look back to His finished work will be gathered around the same throne. We will be made perfect together. And we will declare with one voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.