But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
(2 Timothy 4:17-19, NASB)
Three promises … Two for today. One for tomorrow.
“The Lord [stands] with me and strengthen[s] me” each and every day. To be honest, this is the promise that keeps me going. If it weren’t for the confidence I have that God is with me every day, right by my side, I don’t know how I’d make it.
If you’ve been a regular follower of these daily devotionals, you know I suffer from several chronic health issues. I’m constantly weary, and my energy level is usually quite low. I desperately need the strength of my heavenly Father to get me through each day. And that’s not an exaggeration. Too many mornings I wake up, and it’s all I can do to get out of bed. And yet, each evening, I crawl back into bed, knowing I accomplished much through God-given strength.
“The Lord rescue[s] me from every evil deed.” We’ve talked a lot about battles, and I find great comfort in knowing the Lord “has my back.” No matter what the enemy throws at me, God will rescue me. He’ll protect me as I continue this earthly journey.
And the promise for tomorrow?
One day, He “will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom.” One day, all my weariness and pain will end. One day, I will no longer have to battle against the enemy of my soul. One day, I’ll be in the very presence of my God—Father, Son, and Spirit.
How blessed I am to know that God never leaves me nor forsakes me here on earth (Deut. 31:6, 8; Josh. 1:5; Ps. 27:9; Heb. 13:5). And how even more blessed I am that one day I’ll shed this earthly skin and spend eternity with the Lord.
What great promises! And so I can say, along with Paul, "to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."
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