Today I finished up my study on the life of Paul. What an amazing story. For the first time, I really saw Paul for the human being he was. I actually felt sad to come to the conclusion of his life’s story.
I confess, I had fallen several days behind. But knowing that I had copy duty at Trey’s middle school today I took my study with me. God blessed me with lots of time as I waited for 520 copies of 14 originals, copied front-to-back, collated, stapled… plus several “3 sets of 150 of 3 originals, copied front-to-back, collated, stapled” and a few “100 copies of 12 originals stacked, no staples”. I got completely caught up and then some. In fact, I became so immersed in my study that I was surprised to discover teardrops falling onto my page as I read about Paul’s final days. As Paul pleaded with Timothy for companionship and comfort in that miserable final imprisonment, I found my heart hurting for him…feeling his loneliness, bearing the emotional pain of being abandoned by those who had once been so close to him, cringing at the humiliation he endured, and longing with him for comfort and encouragement.
And it was in that dark cell, when all of what was familiar and comfortable had been stripped – literally – away, that Paul was able to say with absolute confidence: “I am convinced He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” The only thing he had to cling to was his faith. The only foundation he had to stand upon was his God. The only sure thing he could count on was his salvation. The only comfort he could wrap around his cold, dirty, beaten body was the presence of God Himself. A God he knew. A God who was as real to him in that prison cell as you and I are today. A God who was faithful to bring his servant safely home.
My study guide closed with the following. It was a message I desperately needed to hear and one that I hope will encourage you, wherever you are in your faith journey:
He is able to guard every single thing you have entrusted to Him. Never will you choose to believe or trust, then be forsaken. (emphasis mine) He is keeping every record, every scroll, every trust. You may walk in faith and never see with your human eyes how trustworthy He really is until that day you come face-to-face. But you can know the One in whom you believe and be convinced He is able. You have not been foolish to trust an invisible God. One day you’ll see. (Beth Moore: To Live is Christ)