At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the Lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 4:16-18

You thought you were a team. You thought you were all in this together. You thought that you would all support each other through thick and thin. And then someone went and broke that trust. Maybe your spouse did not take your side in a dispute with an acquaintance. Perhaps your teammate didn’t stick up for you when the coach wrongfully called you out for something you didn’t do. Or maybe your associate didn’t put in a kind word for you when you were trying for the promotion at work. Whenever people fail us, it is discouraging and demoralizing.

The apostle Paul experienced something similar when he was on trial for preaching and teaching about Jesus. There, he was on trial before the Roman Emperor—the most powerful man in the world—and no one came to his aid. His friends weren’t there to encourage him. His co-workers were not present to speak on his behalf. No one stepped forward to defend him.

Jesus knew all about that. He, too, was arrested and put on trial and was led to the cross, where he was put to death for sins he did not commit. And where were his friends through it all? One betrayed him. Another denied him. The rest fled for their lives and left him to fend for himself. But Jesus stayed the course and endured it all so we could be saved and assured of a place in his heavenly kingdom. Through faith in Jesus, heaven is yours. And in the meantime, whatever you are dealing with, God will rescue you like he did Paul. The Lord is with you, even when it seems like no one else is.

Prayer: