Note 9 at 2 Cor. 4:9: One of the most trying aspects of persecution is the feeling that God has forsaken you. "If God wanted to, He could stop the persecution, right? Therefore, He doesn't care." That's the way that the devil tries to make us think, but that's not what Paul thought. He knew the Lord was with him in persecution and he even gloried in persecution, knowing that Jesus was right there with him in his suffering (see note 4 at Acts 9:4, p. 621). This kept Paul from being discouraged through persecution and it will also work for us (see ref. g at this verse).