2 Timothy 1:4 (LSB)

Passage

longing to see you, having remembered your tears, so that I may be filled with joy,

Nearby Context

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

2 Timothy 1:3 I am grateful to God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I unceasingly remember you in my prayers night and day,

2 Timothy 1:4 longing to see you, having remembered your tears, so that I may be filled with joy,

2 Timothy 1:5 being reminded of the unhypocritical faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that it is in you as well.

2 Timothy 1:6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "I am grateful to God whom I..." into verse 5's "being reminded of the unhypocritical faith within...", so "longing" and "having" 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 "having" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.