2 Timothy 1:12

I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

Security is a big issue in our society. Billions of pounds are spent each year in an attempt to keep things safe. Nothing could make it clearer that, sadly, we live with a massive level of insecurity. I’ve only once lived in a house which had its own safe. It was so heavy that we never attempted to move it, but we were very grateful to have it because it was the best place to protect chocolate biscuits when our children were young! We didn’t have anything more valuable to put inside it, and I often imagined with glee the disappointment of anyone who tried to break into it with an oxy-acetylene torch.

Paul knew there was no security issue more important than his salvation, and in today’s verse he celebrates God’s total reliability. God was able to keep Paul absolutely safe until Jesus returned or called him to himself. In a world that is full of insecurities, we all need to be sure that our salvation is secure. We can’t just sit back and let God get on with the job of guarding us. We have our part to play as well – two verses later, he tells Timothy to guard carefully the precious truth that has been entrusted to him through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can be confident of God’s ability to keep us safe, but we need to look after the treasure that has been given to us.

It's clear from this verse that Paul’s security lay not in certain facts or doctrines but in knowing a person. He had a living and intimate relationship with Jesus and, because he knew what he was like, he could be absolutely confident about the future. I hope with all my heart that you also know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and that, as a result, you are able to look to the future with complete confidence.

Question

Are you confident about God’s ability to keep you safe?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I thank you that I am able to place my life and future entirely in your hands. Amen