You Are Never Alone!

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses....
— Hebrews 12:1

At times you may have wondered, Has anyone else ever experienced the kinds of problems I’m experiencing right now, or am I out here all alone?

No, you’re not alone! Hebrews 11 records the remarkable feats of faith accomplished by various people in the Old Testament. These were people who had to fight and struggle as they waited for the object of their faith to manifest. Their walk of faith was a great, great challenge.

Because these Old Testament saints stayed with what God had told them to do and never gave up, they eventually saw His blessings begin to operate in their lives. Nevertheless, nearly all of them endured great, difficult hardships and challenges before their victory came.

To let us know that we’re not alone in our own walk of faith, the writer of Hebrews says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
     
 Notice that it says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses....” The phrase “compassed about” is taken from the word peikeimenai, which is a compound of the words peri and keimai. The word peri means around or to be completely encircled by something. The second part of the word keimai means to lie down. When these two words are compounded into one word, they mean to lie around, as if something has been piled high and is lying all around you on every side. This is the portrayal of being completely encircled by something that is stacked high on every side!

Therefore, this verse carries the following idea:
“Wherefore seeing we have lying all around us on every side....” “Wherefore seeing these biblical examples are piled up and lying all around us....”

The Bible is piled high with examples of people — people just like you — who stood in faith and endured difficulties in order to do the will of God. You are surrounded on every side with powerful examples of people who were challenged in their faith, yet who held fast to the Word of God. And as a result, these godly people saw God’s promises come to pass in their lives!

You are not alone!

• Look at Noah and the fight he endured.
• Look at Abraham and the fight he endured.
• Look at Sarah and the fight she endured.
• Look at Jacob and the fight he endured.
• Look at Joseph and the fight he endured.
• Look at Moses and the fight he endured.
• Look at Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets and the fight they all endured.

Take some time today to read some of these examples from the Old Testament — and then turn to the New Testament to see the many examples of faithful people who are also listed there. The Bible is packed full of examples of those who heard from God, who took His Word deep into their hearts, and who refused to stop until they saw the fulfillment of what God had promised them. Like you, they faced hardships and challenges. But no matter what obstacles stood in their way, they kept going and never stopped until God’s plan for their lives was accomplished.

According to Hebrews 12:1, there are so many people who fit this description that they are literally lying all around you. And don’t think you can only look to the Bible for these godly examples. If you look closely, you’ll see that there are huge numbers of these “never-give-up” kind of people living on this earth right now as well. You are not alone in your walk of faith!

Don’t let the devil tell you that you’re the only one who has faced this kind of circumstance, because many have gone before you who have faced the same battles and won great victories. If you’ll commit a few minutes of your time to read Hebrews 11, I believe you’ll find that your battle isn’t worse than the battles these saints fought and won. Reading these verses will encourage your heart!

Don’t give up and throw in the towel! Hard times will pass, and you will see the Word of God bring you the victory you desire. When you’re tempted to get discouraged, just remember the many examples piled up all around you of people who endured and later won their prize!

Lord, Your Word says nothing is impossible to those who believe, so I am releasing my faith in Your promises. I fully believe that what You did for those faithful believers, You will also do for me!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

I confess that I have victory over the challenges I face in life! I know that many have faced the same battles I’m facing and victoriously won their fight. My battle isn’t worse than the battles others have faced, so I boldly declare that I will be triumphant in my fight, just as they were triumphant in theirs! It is a fact that hard times will pass — and when they do, I will see the Word of God bring me the victory that I declare and desire! It is not a matter of IF I will win, but only a question of WHEN I will win!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

1. What are some of your past victories that you can encourage yourself with as you fight your current fight of faith?
2. In each of those past struggles, what helped you to stay in the fight until you won?
3. List some examples of people in your life and in the Bible who held fast to God’s promises as they faced great difficulties until their victory was finally won.

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. . . Source: Sparkling Gems From The Greek Vol. 1: 365 Greek Word Studies For Every Day Of The Year To Sharpen Your Understanding Of God's Word | Rick Renner