God Stood With Me

The Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever!

2 Timothy 4:17-18

ABOUT THE TIME Paul wrote this letter, he stood before courts that could soon sentence him to death. But even in the face of that, Paul had great confidence in God. He knew that the God he believed in would deliver him, either through life or death; that God would give him the grace necessary to endure it; and that the end result would bring glory to God.

Paul speaks words of promise that should kindle hope in every heart: God will bring you “safely into his heavenly Kingdom.” This means not only through death but also through all the difficulties of life. God will bring us through in a way that allows us to triumph. Paul went through troubles that we will probably never face and saw God help him every step of the way. He also witnessed many great victories in the name of Christ. Paul had turned the world upside down with his preaching about Jesus, amid the opposition of Jews and Gentiles alike. The gospel he preached is a gospel of hope and of redemption. And Paul himself was able to experience that hope and redemption as he lived and preached.

God watches, he works, and he uses us to change our world. Paul said that happened in his life, and so it will in yours. His promise is to rescue us not only from “some” evil attacks but from “every” attack from Satan. And his continual deliverances lead to a hope that good things will always come, some in this world and some in the next.