Sometimes I get discouraged in our global work. We share our faith and live it out in a place where people just don’t care. Their lack of interest combined with historical and cultural baggage have allowed their innate secular beliefs to prevail. I often wonder if God will bring anyone to faith in this place. Thankfully, the Word of God doesn’t leave me to despair for very long. In Hebrews 12:1-3 we are told that we have witnesses to encourage us and a Savior to fix our eyes onto as we persevere in our faith race.  

Recently, my pastor husband shared an analogy that I think is useful here (inspired by C.S. Lewis). God’s promises are like a funnel, broad in the beginning and continually narrowing down until they land on Jesus. Think of Adam and Eve and the promised seed (Genesis 3:15), Abraham’s family chosen to draw all nations to God (Genesis 12:2-3), David’s lineage to reign forever (2 Samuel 7), and the prophets revealing significant details about the Messiah. God’s promises in the Old Testament are completed in Jesus, and thankfully we are on this side of history where we can clearly see that. 

Hebrews 11, however, tells us about people who didn’t get to see God’s promises fulfilled completely and clearly, and yet their faith in those promises was commended by God (Hebrews 11:2, 39). Their faith truly was confidence in things they hoped for and assurance in things they didn’t see (Hebrews 11:1). God’s promises were believed because they came from One who is trustworthy and reliable; loving and good; perfect and righteous. 

When we trust in the promise Giver, we can persevere in our faith just as those before us did (Hebrews 12:1). And since Jesus is the completion of God’s promises, we can look to His endurance as our guide (Hebrews 12:2), which will also strengthen us to not give up in our faith race (Hebrews 12:3). So when I’m discouraged by the apathy here, I can look to the faithful and to the One who perfects our faith by completing the promises of God.