Why was Paul not forsaken despite being persecuted?
Paul was not forsaken because the Lord promised him, when he was in Corinth, not to run from the enemies, saying He had much people in that city. Though persecuted and driven from city to city, Paul knew his ministry was not finished; God still had purposes for him, so he was cast down but not destroyed.
Les explains that Paul had just gotten up from a sickbed in Philippi and thought his ministry had ended, but God did not take him off the scene. Paul knew he had been set apart at Damascus to go to the Gentiles and that Christianity was still in its infancy, being attacked from every direction. He was troubled on every side, perplexed, and persecuted, driven from city to city, yet not forsaken. The Lord had promised him in Corinth: "Paul, don't you run from the enemies. I've much people in this city." So even when cast down by sickness, disappointment, and failure to meet Titus, he was not destroyed. He was confident he had done as much as the Lord intended, and that the life of Jesus might be manifest in his body.
Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
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