The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work

We have all heard about the life of the apostle Paul, how valuable his ministry was, how the Lord was with him, but another thing that we must also highlight is that this beloved apostle, the greatest writer of the new testament, suffered great vituperation for the sake of Christ. That is why we will see some words spoken by this man of God, that in one way or another will comfort us in our arduous race of faith.

16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

2 Timothy 4:16-18

This is one of my favorite chapters in all the Scriptures and I could put a lot of emphasis on each of its verses, but even being brief we could understand a lot of this valuable text. To have a greater focus we have to go back and remember who was the apostle Paul, this man of God before being a Christian was Pharisee instructed at the feet of Gamalier, who was one of the most respected teachers of his time. Paul was highly zealous of the law and persecuted Christians to the point of death.

Paul was a respected man and one who was well positioned, however, in this chapter he is imprisoned, so poor that he had to tell Timothy:

The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.

2 Timothy 4:13

Spurgeon said that in small things is where you get great meanings, and with this verse happens the same, we may not see anything to say about it, but it is quite the opposite, in this verse we learn that powerful man named Saul of Tarsus now is so poor in the middle of winter that does not even have a cloak to cover his nakedness. And not only that, but in his own words he says: “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge”. (V 16).

Paul was very clear that regardless of whether everyone had abandoned him, that he was imprisoned, cold, hungry, the Lord was at his side to make him free of the evil. Do you believe that the Lord is at your side when you are going through difficult times? It is good that we have that kind of faith that the Apostle Paul had, that even in his weakest situation he kept believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we read this chapter carefully, we realize that Paul is not writing from a place of comfort or abundance, but from a prison cell where loneliness, cold, and scarcity were part of his daily life. Yet his confidence in God remained unshaken. This contrast teaches us that true faith is not measured by our external conditions but by the firmness of our trust in the Lord. Paul had lost friends, position, honor, and possessions, but he had not lost his conviction that Christ was with him.

The apostle also understood that every difficult moment could become a platform for the gospel to be proclaimed. Notice how he says that the Lord strengthened him so that the preaching might be fully known. In other words, even in his trials he saw purpose. Many times we think our hardships are meaningless, but in the hands of God even the darkest moments can shine with eternal value. Paul knew that his suffering was not wasted, and that God used it to bring salvation to the Gentiles.

Another encouraging truth from Paul’s words is his certainty of divine protection. He says that the Lord delivered him from the mouth of the lion, an expression that symbolizes extreme danger. But he doesn’t stop there; he adds that the Lord will continue to deliver him from every evil work. This confidence is something we must learn to cultivate, because the same God who strengthened Paul is the God who sustains us today.

Finally, Paul closes with a powerful declaration: that God will preserve him unto His heavenly kingdom. This is a reminder that the ultimate victory is not in escaping earthly trials but in reaching the eternal kingdom prepared for us. Our sufferings are temporary, but the glory that awaits us is everlasting.

May we, like Paul, remain firm, trusting that even when others abandon us, the Lord stands with us. His presence is enough to strengthen, uphold, and preserve us until the end.