2 Timothy 4:16-18

At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!  But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

During times of persecution and hardship we will often feel lonely and forgotten.  There may be times where it feels like the Lord has forgotten us or feels distant.  In these times it is important to remember that if the Lord feels distant it is not because He moved away from us but that we have moved away from Him.  As Paul faced imprisonment and anticipated his impending death; His faith in the Lord remained unwavering.

PAUL FELT ABANDONED BY MEN’S COWARDACE IN THE PAST: It is hard to know to what historical event Paul was referring in this passage as this part of Paul’s life is not recorded in Acts.  Apparently, he had an audience in which he was to present his defense and nobody was able to be there to stand with him while he was on trial.  Likely, one of the reasons for this reality was that many of Paul’s friends were not in Rome at the time of this trial.  He was arrested and taken to Rome quickly and it likely took time for guys like Luke and others to arrive.  However, clearly there were some who could have stood with him who refused to stand with him out of fear of being associated with a man who seemed destined to be executed.  Association with Paul would have been a dangerous thing.  Clearly it was painful to Paul.  We need to be prepared to be disappointed by people and cannot allow our trust in the Lord to be based on the faithfulness of other people, but it must be based on the faithfulness of God.

PAUL WAS ASSISTED BY GOD’S PROVISION IN THE PRESENT: God was empowering Paul to be able to stand alone before the most powerful people in the world and give testimony of the grace of God and faithfully proclaim the Gospel.  God never promised us to keep us out of difficult circumstances or prevent persecution. His promise is to go into those realities with us and to give us the strength to bring honor and glory to Himself during those times.  No matter how men may forget or abandon us, God is always faithful to us.  Our job is to honor and follow Him with the strength He gives in the circumstances He allows.  Our faithfulness in participating in the mission should never be conditional upon other men but upon God alone.

PAUL WAS ASSURED OF GOD’S RESUCE IN THE FUTURE: Paul had survived this first trial and was rescued from Caesars condemnation.  The trial was far from over and Paul’s days were clearly numbered but his assurance was that God would rescue him from this unjust and painful world and usher him into his eternal home in the presence of the Lord.  This focus on the eternal is what allowed Paul to be faithful in times of trial. We live in a fallen and unfair world where we will be judged unjustly and misunderstood.  As difficult as that may be, we must take solace in the fact that God is our ultimate Judge and He has already judged us in Christ.  He knows the reality of every situation and He knows the very motives of our hearts.  We stand before the Lord in the righteousness of Christ and He will reward us based on the perfect truth that only He knows.  The misunderstandings and false accusations of other men will have no impact on God’s judgment.  

APPLICATION: Be prepared to be disappointed with people so don’t ever allow others to determine your faithfulness.  Don’t use the cowardice of others as an excuse to abandon the mission to which we have been called.  Depend on the strength of the Lord to boldly proclaim the Gospel no matter what the cost.  Rest assured in God’s faithfulness and the knowledge that no matter what happens on earth our eternity with Him, as believers, is secure and spectacular.