2 Timothy 1:4 (WEB)

Passage

longing to see you, remembering your tears, 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 thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day

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

2 Timothy 1:5 having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you; which lived first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded, in you also.

2 Timothy 1:6 For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "longing", "remembering", "tears", and "filled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "longing" and "remembering", 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 as..." into verse 5's "having been reminded of the sincere faith...", so "longing" and "remembering" 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 "remembering" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.