Read 2 Timothy 4:9-22

Have you ever felt isolated and alone? Isolation is often accompanied by feelings of abandonment, betrayal, discouragement, weariness, and even doubt. In his final charge to Timothy, Paul asks his friend to come to him quickly (v.9)! Paul needs a companion. Even the strongest among us do.

“Crescens has gone...and Titus...I sent Tychicus...Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm...At my first defense, no one came…” (v.10-16). You can feel the ache in Paul’s words. Community is an armor that defends us from a host of evils. In our society, the enemy has stripped us of that armor one piece at a time. People feel alone—alone in their churches, in their living rooms, in their marriages, and in their professions.

Jesus knows the feeling. He was denounced by his own brothers and cast out by the Jewish community. He was publicly humiliated in front of the city. Out of the crowds of thousands who came to hear his sermons, only a few women came to hear him cry out on the cross. Every disciple except the juvenile, John, had abandoned him. Worse than all of these was the abandonment by his Father: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

Jesus was cast off, so we would never have to be. He walked the valley of darkness alone so we wouldn’t have to. Paul said, “the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (v.17). Can you feel him today? Whatever pit you may be standing in, the Lord is standing with you. Take strength in his presence. He has promised, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

REFLECT

Have you experienced the Lord’s comfort in your hour of abandonment?

PRAY

Lord, rescue me from the valley of despair.

If you want to read the entire 24 Day Devotional: Imparting Faith to Daughters & Sons you can download it at our Petra Resource Page (here)!

Tags: community, hope, doubt, discouragement, isolation, loneliness, friendship, comfort, relationship, presence, betrayal, despair, weariness, abandonment, consolation