Word of Encouragement (8/24/2021)
Today, we have a short prayer to meditate on: “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you” (2 Tim. 4:22). 2 Timothy is known as Paul’s last letter, chronologically speaking. And these are the last words in his last letter, which is a short benediction. We don’t know whether Paul knew that this would be his last letter (at least, the last letter of his to be included in the Bible) and these would be his last words. But keeping that fact in mind makes this short prayer even more poignant. If you knew your time has come and you had one breath left to pray, what would be your last prayer on this earth?
Paul prayed for Timothy, his dear son in the faith. In doing so, he prayed that the Lord be with his spirit. What a simple yet powerful prayer! What better prayer can we bring to God for ourselves and our loved ones than this? “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20). If Christ is for us, who can be against us (Rom. 8:31)? “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34). He is our Good Shepherd (John 10:11) so we will not lack anything. He makes us lie down in green pastures. He leads us beside quiet waters. He restores our souls. He leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we don’t have to fear evil, for He is with us. His rod and His staff comfort us. His goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Ps. 23). “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isa. 40:11). He says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28-29).
This is only the tip of the iceberg. Jesus is much more than just our Good Shepherd. He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). He is the Way and the Truth and Life (John 14:6). He is the Living Water (John 4:10ff). He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). He is the Tree of Life (cf., John 15:1). He is our Shield (Ps. 3:3). He is our Rock and our Fortress and our Deliverer (Ps. 18:2). He is the Rock of Ages cleft for us (1 Cor. 10:4). As the Second Person of the Trinity, the one and only true God, He is all-sufficient for all our needs and desires. John Gill says that Christ is with us “To counsel and advise in every difficult matter; to comfort under every distress; to supply with all grace in every time of need; and to strengthen and fit for every part and branch of duty.”
What is also so wonderful about this prayer is that it is guaranteed to be answered without fail. Why? Because Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us.” That Christ is with us is not something we should take for granted, is it? Let us rejoice and be glad that Christ will never leave us or abandon us and He will do all that He promised to do for us, for whom He gladly sacrificed even His life!