Listen to God speak from the cloud

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, In Matthew 17:5, while Jesus was speaking to Peter, James, and John, "a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, 'This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!'" This is the image portrayed in this verse, except the witnesses of chapter 11 are the cloud of witnesses whose ministries are not completed until we walk in faith to the end of our lives. God is collectively speaking through their testimonies, “These are my beloved sons and daughters in whom I am well-pleased. Listen to them.” Remember 11:6, “Without faith it’s impossible to please God”? We are surrounded by not only the people of Heb. 11, but also by other people who have been faithful examples to us in our lifetimes. These surround us like a cloud surrounded Jesus and His disciples. God speaks to us out of the cloud of witnesses. What does He speak? First, every one of those examples of enduring faith had to lay aside every encumbrance, weight, or baggage that hindered them from pressing on in faith. Where did that weight come from? It came from not drawing near to God for grace and mercy. Think with me about Heb. 4:16. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Notice that the grace and mercy are conditional. One only receives grace for a trial if he or she draws near in faith. If one doesn’t draw near and abide in Jesus, then the storm in life becomes baggage because there’s no grace given. You’ve experienced this. You’ll notice the baggage you have accumulated on life’s journey comes from events or relationships where you didn’t abide in Christ and get grace to trust and love. So those events are now trigger points in your life. They are encumbrances to faith working through love. The only way you can move on is to lay those events aside by bringing them to Jesus and acknowledging that they are His to use for His glory in your life. All of the cloud of witnesses had to do this. How do they lay these encumbrances aside? That leads us to the second thing: God speaks through these witnesses. To lay aside the encumbrances, they had to also repent of the sin of unbelief that easily entangled them and which also easily entangles us. Let me remind you of my working definition of unbelief. Unbelief looks at what we can see, experience, and desire on the earth. In contrast, faith focuses on God and His promises. Bitterness, unforgiveness, doubt, depression, discouragement, and hypersensitivity are all the consequences of unbelief—baggage that we carry because we didn’t draw near to the throne of grace to receive grace and mercy in time of need.  Third, God calls us to also run our race that God sets before us with endurance. Faith recognizes humbly that everything that happens in life comes from God, so the faith of Christ might be displayed for His pleasure and glory in our lives. When we draw near to God with a humble heart and receive well the hardship and suffering that God allows in our lives, we can then lay aside the baggage that comes from the proudness and hardness of heart that develops due to unbelief. Then we can run with endurance for the rest of our lives.  What baggage are you carrying from the past or present storms of life? You can lay them aside today and get free to run in love with Jesus by confessing you failed to abide in Christ in those storms and thanking Jesus for forgiving you of unbelief. Turn to Him now and give Him those events and relationships to carry. He carried them for you on the cross so that you may be free to live to love with Him. Listen to God speak from the cloud.