God Stands by Us (2 Timothy 4:16–17)

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.
– 2 Timothy 4:16–17

These verses at the end of 2 Timothy are so encouraging and discouraging at the same time. Paul is describing a moment of opposition and trial. What’s discouraging is his statement that no one came to stand by him.

Everybody deserted him. But immediately he says, “May it not be charged against them.” He’s not writing to accuse. What’s so encouraging is that Paul says even when no one else stood with him—when everyone deserted him—the Lord stood by him and strengthened him, and he delivered Paul from the lion’s mouth.

When I read this, I’m reminded of the reality that people will let us down. We let others down, and people let us down. It is part of life in a fallen world.

Even the best people are imperfect. Even the greatest friends and family members will sometimes fail us. I think about how much I love my wife and kids and how much I want their good. Yet I know there are times when I let them down. That part is discouraging. But what is so encouraging is knowing that God himself—sovereign over creation, holding all things and holding you in his hand—will never let you down.

You can trust him completely. He will always stand by you and strengthen you as you trust in him. He is infinitely trustworthy. Paul says in Philippians 4 that he can do all things through Christ, who gives him strength in any and every circumstance, even those moments when we feel let down by others.

So I want to encourage you today and lead us to pray that in the moments when we feel most alone, and in those moments when imperfect people let us down, we would always look to the Lord, who will never let us down.

Jesus, we praise you for your faithfulness. God, we exalt you for your perfect faithfulness and trustworthiness. We thank you for never letting us down. Your Word never lets us down. You are always working for the good of those who trust in you. You are always with us and for us. So in a fresh way today, we say that we trust in you.

We thank you for all the times you have stood by us and strengthened us. And we pray today with confidence that you are standing by us. Strengthen us just as you promise in your Word.

And as the imperfect people we are, use our lives to point others to you, that they might trust in you. I think about Paul in 1 Corinthians 2, saying he wanted to preach your Word in a way that caused people not to depend on him but on you and your power.

Help us encourage others with the strength found in you. Help us strengthen the faith of those around us. Help us lead people to trust in you.

A Prayer for the Khandelwal Brahmin People

And God, we pray for this around the world. We pray today for the Khandelwal Brahmin people of India—300,000 Hindi-speaking men, women, and children. May they know that you are for them and that you sent Jesus to die for their sin, to give them life in you, to give them strength and joy and hope and everything they need—not in anyone or anything else, but in you alone.

We pray for the spread of this good news among the Khandelwal Brahmin and every people group in the world. And we pray that this good news would spread through us today as we live with confidence that you are with us and your strength is enough for us.

We praise you, God, for standing by us and strengthening us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.