Strengthen Your Trust in Jehovah A murderous plot is afoot. All the high officials of the land have consulted together and have come up with a proposal for a new law. They want to make it a capital offense for anyone to engage in worship that is not approved by the State. DOES this sound familiar? History is full of examples of people who resorted to framing mischief by law. The above instance took place in the Persian Empire in the days of the prophet Daniel. The law, which King Darius did enact, stipulated: “Whoever makes a petition to any god or man for thirty days except to [the] king should be thrown to the lions’ pit.”—Daniel 6:7-9. What would Daniel do under the threat of death? Would he continue to trust in his God, Jehovah, or would he compromise and do as the king dictated? The record tells us: “Daniel, as soon as he knew that the writing had been signed, entered into his house, and, the windows in his roof chamber being open for him toward Jerusalem, even three times in a day he was kneeling on his knees and praying and offering praise before his God, as he had been regularly doing prior to this.” (Daniel 6:10) The rest of the account is well-known. Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den for his faith, but Jehovah “stopped the mouths of lions” and rescued his loyal servant.—Hebrews 11:33; Daniel 6:16-22. Time for Self-Examination Today, Jehovah’s servants are living in a hostile world, facing many threats to their physical and spiritual welfare. For example, in the brutal outburst of racial hatred in certain countries, many Witnesses have been killed. Elsewhere, Jehovah’s servants have faced food shortages, economic hardships, natural disasters, serious sickness, and other life-threatening situations. In addition, they have had to deal with persecution, pressures from work, and various temptations to do wrong, all of which may threaten their spirituality. Indeed, the great Adversary, Satan, is bent on destroying Jehovah’s servants by whatever means may prove successful.—1 Peter 5:8. Faced with such circumstances, what can we do? While it is natural to experience fear when one’s life is threatened, we can keep in mind the apostle Paul’s reassuring words: “[Jehovah] has said: ‘I will by no means leave you nor by any means forsake you.’ So that we may be of good courage and say: ‘Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5, 6) We can be confident that Jehovah feels the same about his servants today. However, it is one thing to know Jehovah’s promise but quite another to be convinced that he will act in our behalf. It is therefore vitally important that we examine the basis on which trust in Jehovah is built and that we do everything we can to strengthen and maintain that trust. If we do that, “the peace of God that excels all thought will guard [our] hearts and [our] mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Then when trials do come, we will be able to think clearly and deal with them wisely. Basis for Trust in Jehovah We certainly have many reasons to trust in our Creator, Jehovah. First among them is the fact that Jehovah is a loving God who genuinely cares for his servants. There are innumerable instances recorded in the Bible that tell of Jehovah’s loving care for his servants. Describing Jehovah’s dealings with his chosen people, Israel, Moses wrote: “He came to find him in a wilderness land, and in an empty, howling desert. He began to encircle him, to take care of him, to safeguard him as the pupil of his eye.” (Deuteronomy 32:10) In modern times, Jehovah continues to take good care of his servants, both as a group and as individuals. For example, when some Witnesses experienced extreme food shortage during the civil war in Bosnia, Jehovah saw to it that they received much-needed supplies through the courageous effort of their brothers from Croatia and Austria, who risked their lives to travel through extremely dangerous territory to bring relief material to their brothers.* Since Jehovah God is the Almighty, he is certainly capable of protecting his servants under any circumstance. (Isaiah 33:22; Revelation 4:8) But even when Jehovah allows some of his servants to prove faithful right unto death, he still sustains them and helps them to maintain their integrity, enabling them to remain steadfast, joyful, and calm right to the end. We can therefore have the same confidence as the psalmist: “God is for us a refuge and strength, a help that is readily to be found during distresses. That is why we shall not fear, though the earth undergo change and though the mountains totter into the heart of the vast sea.”—Psalm 46:1, 2. The Bible also reveals that Jehovah is a God of truth. This means that he is always true to his promises. In fact, the Bible describes him as a God “who cannot lie.” (Titus 1:2) Since Jehovah reiterated time and again his willingness to protect and save his servants, we can be absolutely sure that he is not only able but also ready to fulfill his promises.—Job 42:2.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 06:37:38 +0000
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