Called to Run in Agony

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”

Hebrews 12:1–2

Running the Race — Not Coasting Through Life

The Christian life is not a stroll. It’s not a walk in the park, nor a journey of comfort. The writer of Hebrews calls it a race — and not just any race, but one marked by agōn, the Greek word from which we get “agony.” It denotes struggle, conflict, and perseverance.

The call of every believer is to run the race set before us. It is not a self-chosen path; it is divinely appointed. We do not design the course — we obey the One who has already mapped it. The Christian life, then, is an active, often painful, yet glorious pursuit of Christ.

1. Perceive Our Calling: Run the Race

In the ancient world, running a race demanded focus, effort, and the will to endure. The writer’s call is clear — “Run!”

John Piper once said:

“Don’t stroll, don’t meander, don’t wander aimlessly. Run as in a race with a finish line and with everything hanging on it.”

Running means discipline, direction, and determination. We are not spectators in the stands; we are runners on the track.

2. Prepare for Our Calling: Cast Off Weights and Sin

Before we can run effectively, we must lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely.

There are two kinds of hindrances:

• Weights — not always sinful, but unnecessary. Distractions, habits, or ambitions that slow us down in our pursuit of Christ.

• Sin — that which entangles, enslaves, and drains our spiritual strength.

The command is radical: Lay them all aside. Thomas Watson called it “the darling sin,” the one we secretly excuse — yet even that must go.

Only an unburdened runner can run with endurance.

3. Perform Our Calling: Look to Jesus

The strength to endure does not come from within, but from above. We are called to look to Jesus, the “founder and perfecter of our faith.”

To “look” in this verse means to turn away from everything else and fix our eyes solely on Him.

He is the founder — the one who began our faith. He is the perfecter — the one who brings it to completion.

Jesus ran His own race “for the joy set before Him.” He endured the cross, despising its shame, and now sits at the right hand of God. His endurance was not passive suffering but active obedience, motivated by joy and secured by hope.

Spurgeon reminds us:

“Christ ran with a cross on His shoulder, and so must we run. Do not try to escape trouble; the followers of the Crucified must be familiar with the cross.”

Endurance in the Agony

To run the Christian race is to embrace difficulty. Yet it is in this very agony that endurance is formed. God’s purpose in our suffering is not to break us but to build us.

We run surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses” — those who finished before us, cheering us onward. The finish line is glorious, for there stands Christ Himself — our author, our finisher, and our reward.

Conclusion

Dear believer, you are called to run in agony — not because God delights in your pain, but because through endurance, He refines your faith.

So run: Cast off every weight. Lay aside every sin. Fix your eyes on Jesus. And do not stop until you see Him face to face.

Application Questions

1. What race has God set before me right now?Am I running it with focus and faith, or drifting through life without direction?

2. What are the “weights” in my life?Are there habits, priorities, or pursuits — even good ones — that slow my walk with Christ?

3. Is there a sin I have tolerated or excused?What would it mean to truly “lay it aside” and run freely again?

4. When endurance feels like agony, where do I fix my eyes?Do I look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, or to my own strength and circumstances?

5. Am I running for the joy set before me?Do I remember that Christ Himself is the reward at the finish line — not success, comfort, or recognition?