That is why as am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. -2 Timothy 1:12

It was a beautiful summer day, the kind that screams “beach!”. I heeded the call and eagerly set up my chair on the sand. Upon sitting, however, the chair collapsed and I toppled over onto the sand. I’d put my trust in my chair, or perhaps my own ability to set up my chair, and was left wanting (and embarrassed).

As fun as life can be, we’re often hit with circumstances that are no day at the beach. Finances, relationships, mental and physical health struggles, disappointment and sadness creep into our lives and when they do, we’re left wondering what to put our hope and trust in (and what’s the quickest way out! Just me?).

Paul was no stranger to difficult circumstances. He writes these words to Timothy from a jail cell where he awaits execution for his work for Christ, and spends every hour of the day chained to a guard. It’s here, in the lowest of low moments, that Paul boldly proclaims the source of his hope.

The Person:

It’s not a system. Not a religion. Not a government. Not himself. Not a “what”, but a “whom”. It’s Jesus Christ, in whom, he has believed. And even though it’s this proclaimed faith in Christ that has landed him in jail in the first place, he remains unwavering and confident.

The Power:

Why? Because only Christ is able to guard what was entrusted to him. Paul had given Jesus his life, his life’s work, his reputation, and the outcome to Christ. Paul knew he wasn’t able to guard it. Rome wouldn’t guard it. The religious system in which Paul was raised wasn’t able to guard it. Even his most loyal friends couldn’t guard it. Only Christ would and could because only Christ had abolished death, the last enemy to be destroyed. (1 Cor. 15:26). No other enemy can take what Christ is guarding.

The Persuasion:

Paul had been convinced, or persuaded, that Christ could guard what he gave him. When everything else had failed him, Christ was still worthy of his confidence. He was suffering greatly, but Christ was worth the cost. Paul kept his focus on the day to come where he would see Jesus face to face, guarding all that was precious to him.   

The personal knowledge of Jesus Christ, the relationship they had, was the source of Paul’s confidence. You and I can have this same confidence no matter what we face. Faith in Christ is power over death, the safeguarding of all we are and can lose in this world, the promise of a better ending. To be persuaded is to put your life in his care, your hope in his salvation, your confidence in what he achieved on calvary. We can have confidence in Christ because only he has defeated every enemy, even death.

When we do this, we not only have the ability to live with confidence for the future, but with confidence for the here and now, in the lowest of low situations. We can let go of rejection, unmet expectations, loss and fear. We can live without shame and regret. Jesus is guarding all you give to him.

Questions for Reflection  

What do you tend to put your confidence in and how might you be withholding parts of yourself from Jesus’s care and safekeeping?

How does Christ’s defeat of the last enemy, death, encourage you to put your trust in him today?