Week 13 - March 24-30, 2024: Deserted and In Need
This week’s daily readings:
Week 13 - March 24-30, 2024
This week’s devotional:
Deserted and in Need
by Rev. Lucy Albert
Scripture:
Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
— 2 Timothy 4:9-13 (NIV)
Reflection:
Have you ever been deserted by a fellow Christian? Maybe you partnered with someone in leading a small group or Bible study, only to find yourself suddenly alone, your companion leaving for objectively bad reasons. Perhaps your spouse failed to keep his or her marriage vows, leaving you in the position of having inadequate resources to be able to care for yourself. There are less injurious types of desertion that nonetheless leave emotional scars that can be debilitating if left untreated.
Abandonment is something that nearly all of us must reckon with at some point, whether real or perceived. The state of being human means we regularly disappoint each other in varying degrees, and desertion is a difficult feeling we must acknowledge and manage. What might it look like to manage this type of betrayal as emotionally healthy disciples?
In this passage from Paul’s letter to Timothy, we see the great apostle expressing his vulnerability in a seemingly desperate state. He makes no attempt to hide the hurt he feels from Demas’ desertion and the loneliness it caused. He asks for Mark to be sent because he has been helpful to Paul in the past. He’s being held in a cold dungeon and asks for his cloak. And he requests his scrolls, which might be copies of Old Testament Scriptures. Possibly, he feels the need to be reminded of what God has said and done in the past.
While this is not meant to be a comprehensive list of what to do when we feel alone and are in need, modeling what Paul has done gives space for the following:
Acknowledging the hurt and naming those who hurt us.
Seeking Christian companions who have previously provided comfort and aid.
Asking for help with physical needs we’re unable to take care of ourselves.
Reminding ourselves via the written Word of who God is when we’re tempted to forget.
What other steps can you think of might be important to take when you experience desertion?
Prayer:
Almighty God, who else can I turn to when I feel deserted and in need? You are my faithful Shepherd and I count on you alone to provide what I lack. I know you can bring miracles about on my behalf or even send a brother or sister to help. Either way, I can rest from my worries knowing it’s in your hands. I praise you for the love and power behind your saving miracles and for the peace that overwhelms me every time I pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen