Run Well: Insights From Hebrews 12Ihe Nhụchatụ

Participant registrations for a recent Dallas Marathon—the half, full, and ultramarathons—were all sold out. Thousands of spectators were there, but we crowded in near the finish line. We had a vested interest since our daughter was running the half-marathon. A decade prior, she had been in a major auto accident. Whether she would keep all her limbs had been a real question. Six surgeries and 21 days later, she came home to begin a year of therapy. All these years later, we went with her daughter, our granddaughter, to cheer her mommy to her finish. Our daughter asked us to take a picture of her crossing the finish line on the Jumbotron. She took off a millisecond or two of her previous best time. It was a personal race, to a personal finish, at a personal best.

Like our daughter, we are commanded to "strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees" (v. 12) and “lame” feet (v. 13). This physical metaphor commands the spiritually feeble, weak, and lame to strengthen themselves.

Spiritually wearied arms may reflect a weakening of one’s drive to fulfill work responsibilities. Have you felt like walking away from it all? I’ve felt it many a time, and during some seasons, almost daily.

Feeble knees likely connect to the wilting of the will. Knee pain can defeat a person’s tenacity. Not long ago, two sisters-in-law of mine underwent knee surgeries at the same time. It took sheer resolve to address the agonizing pain and then recover through therapy. Are you losing your resolve to continue?

And what about hobbling feet? Are you slowing down to quit when you should keep running and pacing yourself to end well? Are you wobbled by all that is happening around you?

It was and is possible for a group of weakened and disrupted lives to be exhausted amid the race. We have to be healed and made well. But how?

“Strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees” (Hebrews 12:12, NET) is actually a citation from Isaiah 35:3. As you strengthen yourself in the Lord, as David did in the middle of great distress (1 Samuel 30:6), you will increase in capacity and capability to run marathon-strong. Tomorrow, we will look at this command in more depth and see how you can personally strengthen yourself.