Faithful Is He

“Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1^st Thessalonians 5:24) 

“…the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” (2^nd Thessalonians 3:3)

It is remarkable that when Paul wrote these words, he faced severe persecution and was surrounded by evil men. How, then, did the Lord protect him from evil? Our deliverance from evil does not depend on our physical circumstances being resolved. What is being protected is our soul. In such times, our role is to trust His promises and not confuse God’s deliverance with the improvement of our earthly lot. God will save us—He is faithful to do so; He will establish and guard us from evil. How and when will He do this? Will it be unconditional and effortless for us? Certainly not! We bear the responsibility of trusting that “…He who began a good work in [us] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Meanwhile, we dwell among evil and wickedness. Yet, just as the LORD assured the saints at Smyrna, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life…” we can have the same assurance.