At my first defence no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed…” vss. 16-17a
2 Timothy 4:16-18
Paul had appealed to the emperor when he was arrested and, according to Luke, he was taken to Rome to face trial. We don’t know what happened then, but he was able to present some form of defense, during which no one spoke on his behalf. He seems to have had little hope of acquittal but was hoping only for a little more time in Rome to continue his ministry. It was a lonely time for Paul–many had deserted him–but he was grateful for his sense of the continuing presence of the Lord. Sometimes our own end of life scenarios can get pretty lonely too. At times it may feel as though we’ve been deserted. Friends and family members all have their own lives, and they can’t always be as attentive as we might like them to be. It’s hard when we’ve enjoyed all the freedoms of mobility to be confined to a single room, unable to do anything without assistance. The loneliness is overwhelming–sometimes all we have is our memories. We will feel as though we are in prison! It’s hard to prepare for such days, and some pray they will never come. If they do come, we can be confident of one thing–the Lord will stand by us!
Thought for the Day: Who will be there for me at the end?
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