This is the week of Thanksgiving which is also the beginning, despite the efforts of just about every retailer in existence, of the Christmas season. For many, it's a time of rejoicing, of gratitude for His blessing, of time with friends and family, and for the celebration of the coming of Christ to this world. It is the best of times. For others though, it can be the worst. Those others who are walking through the loss of a marriage, or the death of a loved one. Others who find themselves isolated from those they hold dearest or find themselves in the midst of familial strife and turmoil. For these, this season and time is one of pain and heartache. I've lived in such a time. Maybe you're living in it right now.
The Scripture that I share from 2 Timothy 4 is one that He made to come fully alive for me on a bitterly cold December night in 1989. My world had collapsed just 4 months before and everything I had known appeared to be gone. I was staying at a church campground that was empty of all life but for its caretakers. I had come "home" to the cottage I was staying in after a 40 mile commute from my job. I was discouraged, hurting badly, afraid of what the future might hold, and wondering what was to become of me. I felt totally alone.
In this state, as I came into the cottage, I sat down and opened my Bible. I always seek to read through His Word each year and at this time, I was in Paul's 2nd letter to Timothy, the 4th chapter. That's when the above verse literally leaped out at me. I was under an intense spiritual assault from the enemy and on the edge of total despair. I felt abandoned and forgotten, but as I read that verse, something mystical and wonderful took place. When Paul wrote that when he first came to stand in judgement before Caesar, all who had been with him had left his side. He was alone....until he realized that he wasn't. He experienced that the One he loved and served was right there beside him, standing with him, being his Advocate. Being the Lord Christ, just as He had promised He would be.
I remember it so clearly. As I sat in my chair with my Bible, I had a vision, for there is no other way to describe it, of me standing alone, at the mercy of the enemy, and then Jesus, in His role as the Lion of Judah, striding into the scene and putting Satan to flight. With that, a deep sense of calm and confidence came over me and I knew that this was not where I would end. I knew that He was with me no matter how I felt or what circumstances were saying. I knew that all was well in the midst of the chaos. There was peace and renewed hope and expectation in my heart, mind, and soul. I was held, not in the grip of defeat, but in the grip of Christ and His victory, which was also my victory. He had much more for me than this.
If you find yourself in a similar place today, where all seems lost and hopeless, remember two words from the above Scripture..."But Christ!" All that is happening to and around you must bow to Him. He is the final word on your life and His final word is always your victory and hope. He stands with you. He will never leave you alone. He holds you in His grip. Hold Him also in yours.
Blessings,
If you find yourself in a similar place today, where all seems lost and hopeless, remember two words from the above Scripture..."But Christ!" All that is happening to and around you must bow to Him. He is the final word on your life and His final word is always your victory and hope. He stands with you. He will never leave you alone. He holds you in His grip. Hold Him also in yours.
Blessings,
Pastor O
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