Never Ever Alone

Paul closes his second letter to Timothy by recalling some whom he’d encountered in his ministry. A few continued their work elsewhere. Others had abandoned Paul totally or even resisted his ministry. Now, Paul faced the weight of Roman law and the threat of execution. With the exception of Luke nearby, Paul felt alone and forsaken.

Despite that sense of abandonment, Paul didn’t despair. Paul advised Timothy (and perhaps reminded himself), God never abandoned him.

Regardless of our status in life, we have moments we feel abandoned by those we counted on to be there for us. It’s especially heartbreaking to have invested ourselves in others, only to be forgotten and cast aside. It seems our moments of greatest trial and challenge are also the times we feel most forgotten and alone.

Here, Paul not only found comfort in the Lord’s presence, he recognized God’s strength was there for a purpose—to empower Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. God wasn’t leaving Paul alone because there was still more for Paul to accomplish. The same is true today. No matter what difficulty we face, God encourages and strengthens us because there is even more planned for our lives. There is still a task to be fulfilled, a mission to be accomplished, and a soul for us to touch.

As Paul realized, people will forsake us. We can focus on who hasn’t been there for us, or focus on the One who is always there. The God who promised never to leave Joshua (Joshua 1:5), also promises to keep us in perfect peace if we keep our minds stayed on the Lord (Isaiah 26:3). May we remember that it’s impossible for the God who is omnipresent to ever abandon us. God is indeed a very present help in the time of need.