IN COURT. 2nd Timothy 4:16-17 A preliminary hearing is when charges against a person are filed and the accused responds to them. Those who know the defendant can give testimony about their character, conduct, and personality. That hearing had already occurred when Paul wrote this letter to Timothy. He had stood alone before the main court of Rome. No one was there to speak for him, even though he was the great Apostle Paul. Still, he did not despair because he was aware of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ with him.
At Paul's first hearing, no one came alongside. He felt disappointed, but he was sure that the Lord gave him strength so his preaching would reach Satan’s stronghold – the house of Nero. Paul, the servant and the sacrifice, is now the saint who exults, bold and confident in the Lord. Standing alone before the court of Roman leaders, Paul was “increased in strength” to use that occasion to present the Gospel and testify to its effect on him and those who believe it. He emphasized to Timothy what he was likely to face and how to view such experiences from God’s perspective. It was a chance to speak for the Lord and to experience deliverance from “the mouth of the lion”—imminent execution.
We may never face circumstances like Paul did, but we can trust the Lord will not abandon us. The bravery and spiritual strength we need to get through tough times come from the Lord Himself. He rescues us from overwhelming fear and provides us with the wisdom and courage to seize such moments to promote the Gospel and witness to God's grace and love. Sometimes, these situations are divinely set moments that may only happen once in a lifetime for both speaker and listener.
Opportunities might seem like tragedies at first until we view events through God’s perspective. Then, we realize they were once-in-a-lifetime chances to share the Gospel with those we would never otherwise reach and who would never hear it otherwise.
Doctors, lawyers, scientists, and those in positions of authority seldom show interest in spiritual matters. They spend their entire lives focused on visible, tangible, and material things they believe are “scientific” instead of faith. They often never realize that everything we do depends on faith in something or someone. “God is not in their thoughts,” and faith in God and His word, hope and its assurance, and love and its value escape their consideration. Eternal things become clear and obvious when the Holy Spirit calls a believer to defend the sound doctrine of truth.