Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
“Looking unto Jesus” means that, like those who came before us, we are “made strong” “out of” our “weakness” (Hebrews 11:34). We are “made strong” when we realize our “weakness”; but, with our Spiritual Eyes of “faith”, we “Look… unto Jesus” for strength, deliverance, wisdom, mercy, comfort, help, and everything we need to endure and survive great tribulations. Joel said, “Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.” (Joel 3:10), so should we. Paul said, “when I am weak, then am I strong” (II Corinthians 12:10) and “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13), so should we. Through “faith”, our ancestors fought great wars and won, survived attacks from wild animals, were “valiant in fight”, defeated attacks from hostile nations, endured mockings and rejections because they were faithful to God, endured beatings and stonings and imprisonments and awful tortures and murderous deaths, endured severe depravations of even the most basic human needs, and “They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.” (Isaiah 41:6); they remained faithful to their God no matter what happened to them (Hebrews 11:33-39)! Furthermore, “God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:40); that is, they endured horrible things waiting for the Messiah to come; but we have it better than they, for our Lord Jesus Christ has come and has saved us from our sins and does strengthen us and does deliver us. We have every reason to “lift up the hands which hang down” (Hebrews 12:12); that is, we have every reason to “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.” (Psalms 31:24).