The Lord Stood With Me
By Pastor Jerry A. Burns
Paul wrote his last letter from a Roman prison, and near the end of it he tells Timothy how his trial began. “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me.” When Paul stood before the court, he stood there without a single friend at his side. And by the time he wrote, Demas had forsaken him, “having loved this present world,” so that he could say, “Only Luke is with me.”
Yet look at the very next word: “Notwithstanding.” Paul says, “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me.” Men left the room, but the Lord did not.
Notice also what Paul did about the people who walked away. He did not write their names down to get even. He prayed, “I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.” When the Lord is standing with you, you do not have to carry a grudge against the ones who did not.
I am thankful that our Saviour knows exactly what that feels like. On the night He was betrayed, “all the disciples forsook him, and fled.” He knows what it is to be left, and He is the One who has said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Maybe this Lord’s Day you feel like no one is standing with you. Your family does not understand, or a friend has walked away. Do not let it make you bitter. Look for the “Notwithstanding.” The Lord is standing with you, and He will strengthen you to finish what He has given you to do.
Think of someone who let you down. Pray for them by name today, the way Paul did, and thank the Lord that He has never once left you.
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." — John 14:1
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This Week's Radio Program
Week Eighteen • May 3, 2026
Trusting God With Tomorrow (Pt. 3)
In this final part of the message, “Trusting God with Tomorrow,” we are brought face to face with a powerful truth from Scripture—while we often plan our days and assume the future, the Bible teaches us that life is fragile, uncertain, and completely in God’s hands. As James reminds us, our life is “even a vapour” that appears for a little time and then vanishes away . The issue is not planning, but planning without God—living as though we are in control of what only God knows.
This message walks through the heart of biblical trust: having a proper perspective of tomorrow, a humble posture before God today, and a surrendered plan that says, “If the Lord will.” Whether facing uncertainty, fear, or the illusion of control, we are called to draw near to God, rest in His care, and trust that His will is good, even when tomorrow is unknown. Because Christ has risen, our future is secure—not in our plans, but in His perfect hands.
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