A Promised Presence

At the start of a marathon, runners line up behind a line. At the fire of a gun, the racers all begin the marathon with the same mission: cross the finish line.

However, they cannot see the finish line from the start. Runners must run in confidence that there is a finish line at the end of the race. Even though they cannot see it, they believe it is there during their entire race. And when they finally cross it, the crowd cheers, “Well done!”

When we look at our faith in Jesus Christ, we see a similar picture of a marathon race. Thankfully, we don’t have to run a marathon every day, or we would be exhausted by day one! However, we read in scripture that God promises to be with us at the start of our life’s race, during the race, and at the end. Every day we live, God tells us He is with us, but we cannot see Him like we can see others beside us. So, what does God tell us to do?

He tells us to have faith. Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 as “the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” God tells us that even though we cannot see Him, we must run the race of life with confidence that He is beside us, guiding us, strengthening us, and enduring it with us. He promises that no matter what the race of life throws our way, He will use it for our good and His glory.

When the race of life feels lonely; when God feels distant and life feels like it will never get easier, better or lighter; let us have hope and confidence, trusting that God is with us. And when we cross the finish line, He will cheer, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”