What was Paul confident of when he thought his ministry had ended?
Paul was confident that he had done as much as the Lord intended him to do. Even while lying on a sickbed, believing his ministry had ended, he did not conclude he was forsaken or destroyed. His confidence rested in having fulfilled the Lord's intended measure of service.
Les teaches that Paul had just gotten up from a sickbed he thought was unto death, and the setting seems to be Philippi. Even though Paul thought his ministry had ended, he was confident that he had done as much as the Lord intended him to do. In the surrounding context, Paul speaks of being cast down, disappointed, and unable to meet up with Titus, yet not forsaken and not destroyed. He also describes always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in his body.