The Cloud of Witnesses
This post was written earlier. I decided to post it here because it might just help someone.
For some nights now I had been up late watching television. Now to get the fact straight, it isn’t that I am such a fan of the box that I would sacrifice some good nights of sleep to spend time with it: It was just that these past few nights have been different. The second gulf war was on and like in no other wars the media was beaming minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour live coverage of events on the war front to the whole world. So for about five nights now the scene in my bedroom has been my wife sleeping peacefully on one side of the bed and I trying to read the close caption display on the TV set (I didn’t dare bring up the volume) to match what I see with some words.
I saw the military tanks as they made their advance from the south to the north of Iraq. A host of speeding metals set to conquer. I saw the ground soldiers in their heavy uniforms take prisoners, the bombs dropping on targets, flames mushrooming, troops surrendering, buildings collapsing, shrouds of smoke filling the air, times of retreat and advancement, propaganda, carnage...
But this night something happened that got me thinking and of course writing these words. The light had gone out in the house. All the hustle and bustle was over. My wife had assumed her sleeping form on her side of the bed and I had assumed my own ready to watch a few hours of pictures from the warfront.
I had hardly begun when the thought floated into my consciousness
“Did you know you are in on the war front?”
Another one quickly followed.
"Did you know you are being watched?"
The TV control left my hand as these thoughts precipitated the discourse of this chapter.
Everyone probably has a quiet knowing that what we call alone is not really alone.
Hebrews chapter 11 and 12 loomed in my mind. After the writer had gone through the pages of history picking out several individuals who lived outstanding chapters in the book because of their determination to be different in their generations, to take the sometimes lonely walk of faith and deal with the issues that confronted them in their days, he made us to know that though they lived in history they are still alive in a place called heaven sitting on the grandstands watching us in our warfare now by God’s own broadcast technology with signals that transcends galaxies.
These victorious viewers made up of the three in one God, the saints and the angels are watching the whole earth as I was watching the war. The screening hand of the media does not block their sight unlike mine. Their view is broad and total. Everything is naked before their eyes even the one we clothe so much to keep our fellow men from seeing.
The fact that we are being watched is both a sobering and a comforting thought.
Sobering because every thought that runs through our minds are loud voices, heard with utmost clarity in the heavenly realm.
The cloud of witnesses; they are a viewing host that cannot be deceived. Intentions and motivations are equivalent to action. No wonder Abraham already sacrificed Isaac according to their point of view.
I wonder how many things we never did but did and how many we did but never did.What we call secrets are open news in this realm and what we strive to hide are revelations in this realm. Comforting because we are being cheered on in the battle of life.
We all know how the presence of a dad or a mom motivates the son contesting in a sprint to sprint the best and win the trophy. No matter where you are now in the battle, hear the cheer of those in the grandstands. Hear the cheer above the mocking of your circumstances. Hear the applause as you overcome the obstacle stone by stone, as you climb the wall inch by inch as you make the journey step by step.
They cheer you when you say no even though your entire body screamed yes.
When you say yes when it cringes from acting.
They cheer as you make your mind up to rise out of
the dust of defeat,
the cave of condemnation,
the pit of pity,
from the prison of past mistakes
and the rust of rejection.
They cheer you on when only you believe in your dreams telling you they do too.
They stand behind you when all friends have taken their leave.
They cheer you to the end for they know the end of the story: You fought fierce battles, experienced many close shaves, fell many times, almost decided to quit but in the end you won!
YOU WON!
He already won for you!
My mind tried to create a picture of some of the characters that are part of this cheering host and hope surged.
If Abraham was there among the victors, then the man who lied and is being condemned can shed his coat of condemnation and run for refuge in the outflow from Immanuel’s veins.
The angry man can see the cheering face of Moses saying. You can conquer it too. The one who thinks he has lost his chance can also hear him say, “If I got a second chance. you can too.”
If David is still playing his harp there then the one who committed adultery can shout with hope and run to the blood.
The murderer can take the way of Paul
The timid can see Peter and put on his clothes of boldness.
I looked and looked but I could no see Judas Iscariot. He gave up too soon on the mercy of God.
Why give up when you’ve won?
For some nights now I had been up late watching television. Now to get the fact straight, it isn’t that I am such a fan of the box that I would sacrifice some good nights of sleep to spend time with it: It was just that these past few nights have been different. The second gulf war was on and like in no other wars the media was beaming minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour live coverage of events on the war front to the whole world. So for about five nights now the scene in my bedroom has been my wife sleeping peacefully on one side of the bed and I trying to read the close caption display on the TV set (I didn’t dare bring up the volume) to match what I see with some words.
I saw the military tanks as they made their advance from the south to the north of Iraq. A host of speeding metals set to conquer. I saw the ground soldiers in their heavy uniforms take prisoners, the bombs dropping on targets, flames mushrooming, troops surrendering, buildings collapsing, shrouds of smoke filling the air, times of retreat and advancement, propaganda, carnage...
But this night something happened that got me thinking and of course writing these words. The light had gone out in the house. All the hustle and bustle was over. My wife had assumed her sleeping form on her side of the bed and I had assumed my own ready to watch a few hours of pictures from the warfront.
I had hardly begun when the thought floated into my consciousness
“Did you know you are in on the war front?”
Another one quickly followed.
"Did you know you are being watched?"
The TV control left my hand as these thoughts precipitated the discourse of this chapter.
Everyone probably has a quiet knowing that what we call alone is not really alone.
Hebrews chapter 11 and 12 loomed in my mind. After the writer had gone through the pages of history picking out several individuals who lived outstanding chapters in the book because of their determination to be different in their generations, to take the sometimes lonely walk of faith and deal with the issues that confronted them in their days, he made us to know that though they lived in history they are still alive in a place called heaven sitting on the grandstands watching us in our warfare now by God’s own broadcast technology with signals that transcends galaxies.
These victorious viewers made up of the three in one God, the saints and the angels are watching the whole earth as I was watching the war. The screening hand of the media does not block their sight unlike mine. Their view is broad and total. Everything is naked before their eyes even the one we clothe so much to keep our fellow men from seeing.
The fact that we are being watched is both a sobering and a comforting thought.
Sobering because every thought that runs through our minds are loud voices, heard with utmost clarity in the heavenly realm.
The cloud of witnesses; they are a viewing host that cannot be deceived. Intentions and motivations are equivalent to action. No wonder Abraham already sacrificed Isaac according to their point of view.
I wonder how many things we never did but did and how many we did but never did.What we call secrets are open news in this realm and what we strive to hide are revelations in this realm. Comforting because we are being cheered on in the battle of life.
We all know how the presence of a dad or a mom motivates the son contesting in a sprint to sprint the best and win the trophy. No matter where you are now in the battle, hear the cheer of those in the grandstands. Hear the cheer above the mocking of your circumstances. Hear the applause as you overcome the obstacle stone by stone, as you climb the wall inch by inch as you make the journey step by step.
They cheer you when you say no even though your entire body screamed yes.
When you say yes when it cringes from acting.
They cheer as you make your mind up to rise out of
the dust of defeat,
the cave of condemnation,
the pit of pity,
from the prison of past mistakes
and the rust of rejection.
They cheer you on when only you believe in your dreams telling you they do too.
They stand behind you when all friends have taken their leave.
They cheer you to the end for they know the end of the story: You fought fierce battles, experienced many close shaves, fell many times, almost decided to quit but in the end you won!
YOU WON!
He already won for you!
My mind tried to create a picture of some of the characters that are part of this cheering host and hope surged.
If Abraham was there among the victors, then the man who lied and is being condemned can shed his coat of condemnation and run for refuge in the outflow from Immanuel’s veins.
The angry man can see the cheering face of Moses saying. You can conquer it too. The one who thinks he has lost his chance can also hear him say, “If I got a second chance. you can too.”
If David is still playing his harp there then the one who committed adultery can shout with hope and run to the blood.
The murderer can take the way of Paul
The timid can see Peter and put on his clothes of boldness.
I looked and looked but I could no see Judas Iscariot. He gave up too soon on the mercy of God.
Why give up when you’ve won?
Comments