#50
Galatians 4:19-20 (Daily Prayer Bible)Up Close and Personal (Galatians #50)And by all means, do strive for good always, my children; and not only when I am there with you. For even apart from you, I s... View MoreGalatians 4:19-20 (Daily Prayer Bible)Up Close and Personal (Galatians #50)And by all means, do strive for good always, my children; and not only when I am there with you. For even apart from you, I suffer for you. I suffer like a woman giving birth.I cannot even tell what tone to take in my letter; I am unsure about how to explain all of this to you, because the second-hand reports I hear are confusing. How I wish I were there, so that I could hear your questions and problems myself. Then I could answer directly.Notes on the ScriptureWe can hear the actual pain in Paul's writing. He suffered great physical tribulation, bringing the Gospel to Galatia, which left him permanently disabled — not to mention the time and labor, the long ordeal, of traveling throughout central Anatolia without funds or friends, preaching a message guaranteed to evoke the wrath of those in power. Now, he has heard that they have wandered from the path: he is in pain again.Paul in PrisonPaul in PrisonHere he says, “I am wanting to be present with you now, and to change the voice of me, because I am confused about you.” While he doesn't elaborate, his meaning seems to be clear. When someone is in turmoil, trying to help them long-distance can be frustrating, especially if they are on the wrong path and need help straightening out their life. If you are with them, in person, you can ask them questions and clarify the problem; you can read their voice and face; you can respond to their words and gestures, and you can change your tone and your advice accordingly.So when Paul says “I want to change my voice,” this is almost surely what he means. He wants to be able to talk to them in person, so that he can understand their problems more fully and fit his advice, admonishments, and tone of voice to the situation.We all learn this during our lives. If somebody is in serious pain or trouble, there is no substitute for being there in person. Sometimes, in fact, simply being physically present — letting someone know that what they are going through is sufficiently important that you will come to them in person — is the entire message we send. We can only be in one place; to be with a friend (or even a stranger) when they are in need, is a unique gift, often the greatest gift we can give. It says, “Your problem is the most important thing in the world to me.”
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