DAILY TEXT, Today Tuesday November 22, Jehovah is close to those who have a broken heart; he saves those who are sunk in discouragement (Ps. 34:18).

DAILY TEXT, Tuesday November 22-2022, Jehovah is close to those who have a broken heart; he saves those who are sunk in discouragement (Ps. 34:18).

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Tuesday November 22

Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those who are sunk in discouragement (Ps. 34:18).

It is natural that we sometimes feel discouraged at the thought that we have “a short and troubled life” (Job 14:1). Many of Jehovah's servants in the past felt this way. In fact, some wanted to die (1 Kings 19:2-4; Job 3:1-3, 11; 7:15, 16). But the God they trusted in, Jehovah, always encouraged and strengthened them. Furthermore, he had his stories recorded in the Bible to comfort and teach us (Rom. 15:4). Let us think of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Overnight, he went from being the beloved son of his father to being a mere slave of a man who did not worship Jehovah (Gen. 37:3, 4, 21-28; 39:1). Potiphar's wife then falsely accused him of trying to rape her. Without checking whether it was true or not, Potiphar sent Joseph to prison, where he was put in chains (Gen. 39:14-20; Ps. 105:17, 18). No doubt Joseph had reason to be discouraged. w20.12 16, 17 pars. 1-4.

What did José do to overcome discouragement?

There was nothing Joseph could do to change his situation when he was a slave, and he couldn't do anything while he was in prison either. How did he maintain a positive attitude? He strove to do the tasks assigned to him well instead of concentrating on what he could no longer do. Above all else, he always put Jehovah first in his life, and for this reason he blessed everything Joseph did (Gen. 39:21-23).

How might the dreams he had have encouraged Joseph?

It is possible that Joseph was also encouraged by meditating on the prophetic dreams he had, which indicated that he would see his family again and that his situation would improve. And so it happened. When Joseph was about 37 years old, his prophetic dreams began to come true in an impressive way (Gen. 37:7, 9, 10; 42:6, 9).

According to 1 Peter 5:10, what will help us endure trials?

What do we learn? Joseph's story reminds us that in this cruel world there may be people who treat us unfairly. Maybe even one of our brothers will hurt us. But if we see Jehovah as our rock, our refuge, we will not break down or stop serving him (Ps. 62:6, 7; read 1 Peter 5:10). On the other hand, Joseph was only a teenager when Jehovah caused him to have these dreams. So it is clear that Jehovah trusts his young servants. There are many young people today who have faith in Jehovah like Joseph did, and some are wrongfully imprisoned for their loyalty.—Ps. 110:3.

What happened to Naomi and Ruth?

Naomi and Elimelech had two sons and lived in Judah, but there was a great famine and they went to a foreign country called Moab. While they were there, Elimelech died, and Naomi was left alone with her two sons. In time, they married two Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah. About 10 years later, they died childless (Ruth 1:1-5). These three women would be in pain. What would become of them now? Ruth and Orpah could marry again, but Naomi was getting older. Who would take care of her? She got to a point where she was so depressed that she said, “Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has filled my life with bitterness." Heartbroken, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, and Ruth of hers accompanied her (Ruth 1:7, 18-20).

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