Second Timothy 4:16-17: “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”
What the unbelieving world wants to know about Christianity is: Does it work? When the chips are down, when the heat is on, when the pressure mounts, can it stand the test? When the storms of life come, does faith in God make a difference?
The answer of both Scripture and experience is a resounding, “Yes Christianity works”. The Lord does help us in life.
But how? The apostle Paul relates an experience out of his own spiritual autobiography that tells us how the Lord helped him and how He in turn can help us. Paul’s experience occurred during his first imprisonment in Rome. At that time Paul was required to stand trial for his life before a Roman court.
The charge? Sedition. He was accused of being the ringleader of a group of insurrectionists. The outcome of that trial was acquittal of the charges against him. Paul was set free to continue his missionary work. Years later, back in prison and facing almost certain death, Paul reflects on that first trial and tells us how God helped him.
At his trial, when Paul was called on to defend himself against the charges alleged against him, no one came to his defense. No one stood with him or spoke up for him. All of his friends deserted him, and he was left to face his accusers all alone. Then he adds, “I pray that this will not be laid to their charge”.
Paul then turns to the bright side of this difficult ordeal. He declares that while everyone else forsook him, the Lord stood with him and strengthened him, so he was able to his trial into a preaching opportunity. He used his defense arguments as a means making the Gospel fully known to his accusers. If Nero presided over the trial of the apostle Paul he heard the Gospel that day.
Paul then says that the Lord delivered him out of the mouth of the lion. Who or what is ” the lion” Paul refers to? It is not Nero, the emperor, for he ultimately won over Paul. It is not lions of the arena because Paul was a Roman citizen, and Roman citizens were never thrown to the lions. The lion referred to here was Satan himself. Remember, Peter described Satan as ” a roaring lion going about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8).
At the trial Satan would like to have silenced the apostle Paul so the Gospel could not have been preached. That would have been a decisive victory for Satan. But the Lord stood with Paul. God strengthened Paul, empowering him to preach the Gospel under the most trying of circumstances. This, God through Paul snatched victory from the Jaws of defeat.
Paul concludes his testimony by saying,”And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom”.
In these words the apostle Paul describes how the Lord helped him, and how in turn the Lord helps us. If you examine Paul’s testimony carefully you will note there are three ways the Lord helped him. First He gave him grace for the disappointments of life; second, He gave him strength for the trials of life; third, He gave him hope for the end of life.
That’s how the Lord helped the apostle Paul. That’s how He will help you and me today. If you are wondering, “Does Christianity work? Will it stand the stress and strain of life? The answer is an emphatic, “Yes. It worked for Paul and it will work for us”.
Do you need help with life? If so, don’t be too proud to ask the Lord. He is in the helping business. Hebrews 4:16 ” Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”.
In The Same Way The Lord Helped Paul, He Will Help Us If We Will Let Him. God Is Trustworthy, Trust Him To Help You.
