From The Lion's Mouth

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. 

- 1 Timothy 4:16-17

This is a later stage in Paul’s life. Just a few verses earlier he says that the time of his departure is near, meaning he is near death. He pleads with Timothy to come visit him and bring some of their closest friends and ministers along with him. This is a very rough time for Paul. No one was there to support him. Everyone deserted him. He was alone.

Can you resonate with that? Have you ever felt like Paul did as he was writing this? Have you ever felt deserted and like no one supports you? Have you ever felt so empty that you were literally begging people to come be with you? Have you ever felt like you poured yourself out completely to the point you were out of strength entirely? If you haven’t, you will at some point in your life.

Luckily Paul doesn’t stop there. He continues on to say that the Lord stood by him and gave him strength so that the Gospel may be proclaimed. What can we learn from this? First, we learn that everyone, even one of the most prominent Christian leaders of all time, will be hit by loneliness, depression, and emptiness. Second, we learn that even when everyone and everything else fails, the Lord will give us strength. God remains faithful. Third, we learn that the Lord gives us this strength not for our own benefit, but for the proclamation of the Gospel. We are given strength to accomplish God’s mission. It is merely a side effect of our God’s love that we will be delivered from the lion’s mouth in the process.