Jesus is right beside you

"But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me."   2 Timothy 4:17  NKJV

Yesterday we saw how many people are hurting, lonely and basically forgotten about. Today, we look at Paul, the faithful warrior as he has reached the end of his ministry. He wrote to Timothy telling him how unsupported he had felt at one of his first court appearances. Nobody had turned up or stood with him; in fact, Paul had no hope in people, his hope was in Jesus Christ, the one who had kept him from disaster time and again. Therefore, he followed in the footsteps of Jesus and Stephen, the first martyr by forgiving the people for not being there for him. This must have been so disappointing, so hurtful.

Looking at the fourth chapter of 2 Timothy and verses 16-18, we read how Paul felt about all of the rejection. One thing to note is that, he didn't throw a 'pity party' or stamp his feet in frustration. Not at all, he basically forgave the people and hoped that it would not be charged against them for their negligence. He then went on to describe how it didn't matter because, the Lord stood by him and helped him. We see this type of thing throughout the bible; Joseph in prison for no reason, accused of attempted rape. Then of course Daniel in the lion's den overnight and Jesus suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and the brutality of the cross. All suffering of different levels, but God allowed such things to happen. And you will find many more of these examples. The bottom line of this to the Christian has just got to be, whether God takes you out of the situation or allows you to go through it, we need to trust Him. He knows what He is doing.

This leads us to you. What are you going through at the moment? Are you struggling with a sickness? Are you short of money? Is there a bill that you cannot possibly pay? Are you hurting from a bereavement, loss of a job, broken relationship or whatever else? These are all stress factors and a short remedy cannot be found for them unless Jesus turns up in the middle of them. Just try and think how the men and women of God - warriors, handled things. Think about Daniel in the lion's den - a nightmare. What about his friends thrown into a flaming furnace. My goodness, how did these people cope - by their faith in God. Deep down, they knew He wouldn't let them down. Suddenly, their nightmare turned into joy and, so will yours as you begin to rely on Him. Jesus is right beside you!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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