16 At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them. 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, as well as the household of Onesiphorus.
20 Erastus has remained at Corinth, and Trophimus I left sick in Miletus.
21 Make every effort to come to me before winter.
Eubulus sends you greetings, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

My heart broke for Paul when I read v16. Going on trial must be scary. That’s why family and friends of a defendant usually come to court to support them. But Paul says no one stood for him at his defence. Not even his Christian brothers and sisters stood up for him while he was on trial for the gospel. If I were in his shoes, I would’ve felt abandoned, hopeless.

But Paul knew he wasn’t alone. I love the comparison between vs 16 and 17 – Paul says, ‘no one stood with me’ (v16), but in v17 says, ‘the Lord stood by me.” Even though no one else in that courtroom saw him, Paul knew that Jesus was with him, and was giving him the strength he needed to proclaim the gospel in that courtroom.

Paul also had confidence that Jesus would rescue him and bring him ‘safely into His heavenly kingdom’ (v18). That didn’t mean Paul wouldn’t suffer – he knew his own death was near (v6). But he had confidence that God would protect him spiritually, and help him to persevere and enter His heavenly kingdom.

I know Jesus calls us all to ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matt 28:19), like Paul. I haven’t been on trial for the gospel, but I still find it scary to start a gospel conversation with my friends or invite them to church. Maybe you do too. But we all can have the same confidence as Paul here. As we share the gospel with friends, family, coworkers, and team mates, we can know Jesus is standing with us, right there, giving us strength. He’s with us always (Matt 28:20). And no matter what happens – whether people like what we say, don’t care, or even hate us – we can know that Jesus will protect us, and bring us safely home to heaven. “To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (v18).”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Student Ministers.