“Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.”
Here the apostle is able to dangle between two possible directions of God’s will. For most of us there is insecurity in uncertainty. Yet Paul’s security came from something other than knowing the future.
“Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.”
This is the first of the two options in God’s will: send Timothy to Philippi. Paul is not certain whether he will be released from jail. Depending upon how his sentencing goes he will make his decision to send Timothy.Paul previously said (v.19) that he was trusting the Lord to send Timothy to Philippi. He was trusting God both to send Timothy and for his release (next sentence).
“But I trust in the lord that I myself shall also come shortly”
The word “trust” means to be persuaded. It is a verb of confidence, settled confidence. The tense of this verb means to have a state of trust. It is this kind of trust in the Lord that gives Paul stability.Paul was willing to place himself in the hands of God. Whatever the will of God, he would go with that. If God releases him from prison he will go to Philippi to resolve the church conflict. If God decided to keep him in prison, he would send Timothy to Philippi. Paul operated on the principle “if the Lord wills.”
The Scriptures do not reveal his release but he did receive his freedom. Later he was imprisoned again in Rome (where he wrote II Timothy).
Principle:
Paul’s security is independent of circumstances and rests completely on God’s will.
Application:
Are you the kind of person that needs security almost at all costs? Do you work hard not to find yourself in uncertain situations? Paul was comfortable with uncertainty because he had complete confidence in how God was handling his life. What is the nature of your confidence in the Lord?
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