2 Timothy 1:4 (ASV)

Passage

longing to see thee, remembering thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 1:2 to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers in a pure conscience, how unceasing is my remembrance of thee in my supplications, night and day

2 Timothy 1:4 longing to see thee, remembering thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

2 Timothy 1:5 having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and, I am persuaded, in thee also.

2 Timothy 1:6 For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "longing", "thee", "remembering", "tears", and "filled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "longing" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "I thank God whom I serve from..." into verse 5's "having been reminded of the unfeigned faith...", so "longing" and "thee" belong inside that flow. In 2 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "longing" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.