2Ti 1:3-5, 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did,,..5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
We all have a history partly shaped by our upbringing or personal experiences. I always find it refreshing in difficult times to journey back to history to glean or draw some strength from it. The Apostle is writing to his son in the faith with the same to encourage him as he faced numerous challenges and pressure as a young pastor. He is not writing to him from a comfortable place, he is in jail near death. He himself as a seasoned soldier recounts in vs 1 the life he lived in accordance with the call/will of God with the promise of life which is in Jesus.
In those difficult moments, 1. He remembered the call of God to solidify his faith that he was right in His will even with being in prison. 2. He called to remembrance that he had journeyed in service and prayers just as his forefathers had done. And here he wants Timothy to know that he is thinking and praying for him, longing to see him to impart some words of wisdom and encouragement. Realizing he could not be there, as already mentioned, he gathers memory of those who had gone before to whom he was about to be gathered to. In addition he calls to mind the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother. These 3 memories would serve as an encouragement to Timothy to persevere firmly in the faith of his father in the faith, mother and grandmother. In times like this, what can you glean from the history, the faith of parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, church leaders. The people that set the path for faith, lived it themselves and finished the race well. That if they did it, we can trust God to make it.