October 9, 2026
— Marshall Broomhall · Source: The Wider World and Our Missionary Enterprise
Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
In the 1880s, after riding 3,200 miles across Gansu in a single year and coughing incessantly through the bitter winter, Broomhall still felt ashamed for a momentary hesitation. What renewed his strength were his fellow workers far away in the Congo who contracted diseases and were martyred for the Lord. Hebrews tells us that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. The footprints of those who went before us remind me that today's inconveniences and fatigue are truly minuscule compared to the price they paid. Yet what truly keeps us from losing heart is not comparison, but fixing our eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before him endured the cross. Today, what burden is making me want to draw back?
Lord Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, thank you for enduring the cross for us and for giving us so many faithful witnesses as examples for our journey. I confess that I often want to shrink back because of minor toil, inconvenience, and frustration. Please help me to lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let me run with endurance the race set before me. Strengthen also the missionaries serving in difficult places today, protecting them amid sickness, loneliness, and danger, so that they may not grow weary or lose heart. In Jesus Christ's name, we pray. Amen.