Power
Strength and Protection – Part 1

Scripture Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Key Verse: 2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

I hope you will read the short passage of scripture that I have suggested for today’s additional reading. It is a great passage to underline in your Bible, let’s examine it.

First, it is obvious that these “brothers” that the apostle Paul is referring to were faithful Christ followers under attack. There were wicked and evil men who wanted to harm them because of their faith in Jesus Christ. I highlight this so you and I can start realizing this fact: It is not unusual to suffer in this world. We, especially American Christ followers, seem to want the norm to be comfort, not commitment; sunshine, not suffering. The norm for these early believers was persecution and hardship!

Second, this passage is the eternal truth: “The Lord is faithful.” God sees the big picture all the time. He is never blindsided or surprised! He knew the number of days in your life on earth before you were brought into this world. His faithfulness is based on knowledge. He knows the depths of our personalities and the breadth of our experiences. He sees and answers our questions before we know to ask and He provides for us before we know we have a need! God could promise to all His followers faithfulness, because He created all the “ways of escape” before we even chose to believe in Him. Do all these facts blow your mind? Good, because if you think you have God figured out, you’ve made your God too small!

Father, your presence, your power, your knowledge is far more than I can take in. I’ll walk with you by faith and trust your work in me. I pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.