VALUED AND UNFORGOTTEN

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

2 Timothy 1:15-18

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It’s been said that you will know who your true friends are when you are going through times of difficulties and hardship. This saying was born around the truth that people who really care of others will be there with them in good times and bad through thick and thin.

As we look at the closing verses of 2 Timothy, chapter 1, we find the Apostle Paul compare and contrast some specific people in his life, ones that had abandoned him and one who proved himself to be loyal and loving, no matter the circumstance. Look again at his words here:

You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus. Vv. 15-18

Now, before we get too far into this message, it’s important to note that the “province of Asia” is not what we know Asia as today. In Paul’s day, the province of Asia was what we know today as the west coast of Turkey. It was comprised of the regions of Caria, Lydia, Mysia, and Phrygia and the capital was the city of Ephesus. This brings things into focus for us because we know this second letter to Timothy was going to Ephesus where the letter recipient was pastoring the Ephesian church.

You may remember that Paul is imprisoned in Rome as he writes to Timothy and it had to be extremely difficult for the Apostle to have lost his freedom to travel liberally at the will of the Lord to bring the Gospel to lost sinners. As we read through his prison epistles which include Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, and Philippians, we find him encouraging the churches and his brothers and sisters in Christ but Paul was in need of support and encouragement as well, support and encouragement that didn’t readily flow back to him as much as he poured it out to others.

In our passage for today, we can feel the hurt Paul feels in his mentioning of rejection by “everyone in the province of Asia” which included two specific people who must have particularly disappointed the Apostle, Phygelus and Hermogenes. Of interest, this is the only place in the Bible where these two men are mentioned.

This also holds true for the man Paul commends, a man by the name of Onesiphorus. In stark contrast to Phygelus and Hermogenes, Onesiphorus remained loyal to Paul, even while he was in prison. Having helped Paul when he had visited Ephesus, we read where Onesiphorus had encouraged and refreshed the Apostle, unashamed of his chains as he “searched hard” for Paul “when he was in Rome”. What a blessing it had to be for Paul to receive a visitor from Ephesus who loved and valued him so much that he was determined to seek him out for an unexpected visit!

We know this left a lasting impression on Paul for as we read in these final verses of 2 Timothy 1, he makes space to wish the best on Onesiphorus and his household, praying that the Lord would show them mercy, especially on the day of His return. It was a request for special blessing on a man who had blessed him so very much, a man who let Paul know how much he was valued and unforgotten when he needed it most.

Friends, in Onesiphorus, we find a reflection of our Lord and how He relates to us in life. For no matter our circumstances, whether easy or hard, whether in joy or in pain and sorrow, the Lord is with us, seeking us out and unafraid to stay by our side to offer encouragement, to show us love and caring to help us through. For the psalmist writes, having experienced the Lord’s presence and aid first hand:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Today and in every day we are given, let’s rejoice in knowing we serve a Lord who values us more than we will ever understand, a Lord who never forgets or forsakes us.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.