Chaplain Corner’s Article
“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength”– 2 Timothy 4:17
When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, Paul was imprisoned and facing death as everyone who supported him in the ministry had abandoned him. Paul had given so much to so many to now find himself without any support. He writes to Timothy encouraging him to keep his faith in God because God was still by his side while everyone left Paul. God never left him nor forsook him. Paul speaks of the strength God gave him to endure the disappointment of those who he thought has his back. God gave him the strength to withstand the unsanitary conditions of his confinement and peace to accept his impending death. Even in Paul’s worst moments, he found the wisdom to acknowledge where his help came from. Just as David in the Psalm 121:1-2, “I look unto the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”
The importance of recording the biblical stories is to let us know, 2,000 years later, that there is nothing new under the sun. The same we, in 2021, can feel abandoned and alone by those who we trusted and supported the most is the same experience of those who came before us. The same disappointment and unbelief that we feel, they also felt. However, they understood no matter the circumstance, and even in their lowest moment, God was there to support them and provide them with the strength and sustenance needed. No matter what is going in our lives, we must never forget we are never alone, for the God of those who came before us is the same God who is here for us now. Never give up or lose faith because the Lord will stand by your side and provide you strength.
Blessings,
Rev. Takana L. Jefferson, Chaplain United States Navy