Strength To Hold On

II Timothy 4:13

Sam Johnson served in the US Air Force for 29 years. During his 25th combat mission in Vietnam his F-4 Phantom was shot down (April 16, 1966). Sam was captured and would spend the next 7 years in a North Vietnam prison camp. He would be tortured, starved, interrogated, and isolated for most of this time. He was not allowed to see other prisoners. It was enough to drive a man insane.

During those times of isolation, it was Johnson's faith that kept him going. He was surprised that he could remember the Bible verses he had learned as a child growing up in church. He found that he could still remember the names of all 66 books of the Bible. He remembered the words to hymns he had sung in church. He spent much of his time in prayer, asking God to sustain him, to take care of his family, and at times to save him from the elements.

After 5 years, things began getting better. The prisoners began receiving more food. They were allowed to meet with one another for special services on Easter and Christmas. Then eventually they could meet together every Sunday. What they did not know was that negotiations were underway for their release. Sam, who when captured, weighed 190 pounds, had lost down to 120 pounds. The North Vietnamese were fattening the prisoners up to hide their torture. By the time he was released, Sam weighed 150 pounds. He thanked God for His faithfulness through the whole ordeal. In his book, Sam credited God and the scriptures he had learned as a child for being what kept him going over those long years.

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“Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.”

II Timothy 4:13

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Being now in a Roman prison, and the conditions being brutal, Paul asks Timothy to bring three things. The first is a cloak. Paul is an old man. He is in little more than a pit down in the earth and he is cold. His request is for Timothy to bring a cloak to help him stay warm. Without reading too much into this, we should understand that his conditions were not good. Paul was suffering like a terrible criminal for preaching a message of love and forgiveness. If asked however, I am sure that Paul would say the same thing he wrote to the Romans - "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

We cannot say for sure what the "books" and "parchment" were, but most scholars believe that one, or both, were copies of the scriptures. If this is true, then the last physical request we have recorded from Paul is for the scriptures. Paul wanted the Word of God during this awful time. It would serve as a comfort, reminder, companion, and source of strength with what he was facing. Paul knew that what he was about to face was death. As he stated in verse 6, he knew that he would die soon. He wanted God's Word to be with him to the very end.

Many Christians today seldom open God's Word. They hear scripture at church (when they attend), but rarely outside of a worship service. Then, when life hits them with a crushing blow, they fall apart and want to know where God is. They never took the time to equip themselves for the difficult times of life. I do not mean to be harsh, but this is as ridiculous as if I went and jumped into an MMA ring with the heavy weight champion. I took two months of Taekwondo back in 2005. I would be destroyed in the first 5 seconds. That is what happens to many people when catastrophe strikes. It destroys them because they are not trained with the tools they need to survive. Consider these scriptures:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” Psalm 119:105

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” Psalm 119:11

”So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in Your word.” Psalm 119:42

“But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life“ John 6:68

”Who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved.” Psalm 66:9

There are so many more that I could list. I would simply encourage you not to wait until you find yourself in the middle of a storm to look for a life jacket. Make sure it is already on your boat of life before the storm hits. In the midst of the storm is too late to learn that you do not have one onboard.

Father, I know that I can do much better at studying Your Word. I thank You that we are not in this alone. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit helps us in this by teaching and bringing Your Word to our memory when we need it. I pray that You keep us from danger, but, if we must face it, may we be anchored in the promises of Your Word!

To read more of Sam Johnson's story you can read his book "Captive Warriors - A Vietnam POW's Story" or visit the website:

https://www.godsotherways.com/stories/2015/5/12/pow-sustained-by-gods-power