2 Timothy 4:17, "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth."

Interesting points:
1. This verse completes Paul’s testimony of how God moved when all others abandoned or betrayed his confidence at a time when he most needed support from other believers. With no one to back him up, Paul had to rely completely on God who gave him both strength and the opportunity to spread the Gospel to those presiding over and attending the trial, resulting in his being spared an immediate execution.

2. Although no one stood by him because of the treacherous persecution of Christian at the time of his first hearing, Paul knew that he was not alone. His words alluded to Daniel's response in the lion’s den to King Darius in Daniel 6:22, "My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king".

3. Although Paul avoided immediate execution — perhaps by death by lions in the Coliseum – his comments earlier revealed he did not expect to escape an impending execution. According to Church tradition, Paul was eventually beheaded.

4. From Romans 1:16–17 and Galatians 1:16 and 2:8 we understand that Paul understood that God called him to preach the Good News to the Gentiles and his suffering was the natural result of preaching the Gospel and promoting the truth to people in the largest and most powerful city in the world which was governed by authorities hostile to the Christian faith.

Application.
Brothers, this verse is extremely powerful in forcing us to look at where we place our trust. Like Paul, we must not lean on our own understanding, nor should we rely on others as a crutch when trials come our way. Paul’s voice reminds us that we have but one Savior – our Lord Jesus Christ – and our first response must be to depend on God. He alone will give us strength and unleash His mighty power, resources and blessings to carry us through whatever trial we endure.
James 1:2 reminds us to, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
The beautiful thing about joy is that it is not dependent on circumstances and it keeps us looking upwards to God, and that is where our help comes from – in His perfect timing and way!
May we encourage one another as we seek to obey God’s calling on our lives, cling tightly to His truth and find that we are truly saved from the jaws of our adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour!