Study From The Watchtower, Week of January 9 to 15, 2023, Jehovah helps us to endure with joy, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Answer.

Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

“Jehovah waits patiently to show you favor, and he will rise up to show you mercy” (IS. 30:18).

1, 2. a) What will we see in this article? (b) What shows that Jehovah wants to help us?

JEHOVAH can help us endure trouble and serve him joyfully. a). In this article, we'll see how she does it and what we need to do to get the most out of her help. But first let us answer the question “Does Jehovah really want to help us?”

2 To find the answer, let's look at a word that the apostle Paul used in his Letter to the Hebrews. He wrote: “Jehovah is my helper. I will not have fear. What can man do to me? (Heb. 13:6). b).  Some Bible dictionaries explain that the word translated “helper” in this verse refers to a person who runs to the aid of someone who calls for help. Imagine Jehovah running to save someone who is going through a distressing situation. Without a doubt, this description shows that Jehovah is not only willing to help us, but that he wants to do so with all his heart. With Jehovah by our side, we can endure trials without ceasing to be happy.

3. In what three ways does Jehovah help us to endure with joy?

3 In what ways does Jehovah help us to endure with joy? In the book of Isaiah we find the answer. Many of Isaiah's inspired prophecies have special meaning for God's servants today. Also, on many occasions Isaiah describes Jehovah using easy-to-understand words. For example, in chapter 30 he uses beautiful comparisons to describe how Jehovah helps his people. There he says that Jehovah 1) listens carefully and answers our prayers, 2) guides us, and 3) blesses us now and in the future. Let's look at these three ideas one by one.

JEHOVAH LISTENS TO US

4. (a) What did Jehovah say about the Jews of Isaiah's time, and what did he allow to happen to them? (b) What hope did Jehovah give faithful Jews? (Isaiah 30:18, 19).

4 At the beginning of Isaiah chapter 30, Jehovah called the Jews “stubborn children” and said that they added “more sin to sin.” And then he said: "They are a rebellious people, [...] they do not want to hear the law of Jehovah" (Is. 30: 1, 9). a) . Because of his disobedience, Isaiah foretold that Jehovah would allow terrible misfortune to befall them (Is. 30:5, 17; Jer. 25:8-11). And so it happened, because the Babylonians took them into exile. But there were also some faithful Jews, and  b). The prophet Isaiah had a message of hope for them: one day Jehovah would grant them his favor again (read Isaiah 30:18, 19).And those words came true. Jehovah delivered them from Babylon, but it was not right away. The phrase “Jehovah waits patiently to show them favor” implied that it would take some time before the faithful Jews were released. In fact, it took 70 years before Jehovah allowed some Jews to return to Jerusalem (Is. 10:21; Jer. 29:10). When they returned to their land, the tears of sadness that they had shed in exile turned into tears of joy.

5. What does Isaiah 30:19 guarantee us?

5 Today, we are also greatly encouraged by these words: “When you cry for help, he will surely show you favor” (Is. 30:19). Isaiah assures us that Jehovah will listen attentively to our prayers and that he will answer them promptly. The prophet adds: "he will answer you as soon as he hears you." These comforting words remind us that our Father is not only willing to come to the aid of those who ask him for help, but that he desires to do so with all his heart. Isn't it true that keeping this in mind allows us to endure with joy?

6. How do Isaiah's words indicate that Jehovah hears the prayers of each of his servants?

6 This verse also confirms that Jehovah listens with interest to the prayers of each one of us. Why do we say this? In the first part of Isaiah chapter 30, Jehovah speaks of “you,” in the plural, because he is speaking to the people about him as a whole. But in verse 19 he speaks of "you" in the singular, because he is speaking to his servants individually. Isaiah says: “you will surely not cry anymore”, “he will show you favor without fail”, “he will answer you”. Because Jehovah is a loving Father, when one of his children is discouraged, he does not say, “You have to be strong like your brother.” Rather, he cares for each of us and personally attends to our prayers (Ps. 116:1; Is. 57:15).

7. How do Isaiah and Jesus show the importance of earnest prayer?

7 When we pray to our God about something that worries us, the first thing he may do is give us strength to bear the situation. And if the test doesn't go away as quickly as we'd like, we may have to ask him many times to give us the strength to endure. In fact, that is what he himself encourages us to do. It is the message conveyed by these words of Isaiah: "Do not give rest to him", that is, to Jehovah (Is. 62:7). What does this mean? That our prayers have to be so insistent that, so to speak, we do not let Jehovah rest.This reminds us of something Jesus said about prayer that we read about in Luke 11:8-10, 13. Using various comparisons, he encouraged us to pray “insistently and boldly,” and to keep asking for holy spirit. We can also ask Jehovah for guidance in making good decisions.

ILLUSTRATION

Images of a sister praying at different times of the day. 1. With her daughter before the girl goes to school. 2. Mid-morning when she takes a break from housework. 3. In the middle of the afternoon. 4. After her little daughter goes to sleep.

What did Isaiah mean when he said to give Jehovah no rest? (See paragraph 7).

JEHOVAH LEADS US

8. How were the words of Isaiah 30:20, 21 fulfilled?

8 (Read Isaiah 30:20, 21). The Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem for a year and a half. During that time, the Jews suffered so much that anguish became as common as bread and water. But, according to verses 20 and 21, Jehovah promised them that he would save them if they would repent and change their ways. Isaiah said that Jehovah was the “Great Instructor” of his people and promised that Jehovah would teach them to worship him as he wants. These words were fulfilled when the Jews were delivered from Babylon. Jehovah demonstrated that he was his Great Instructor. Thanks to his guidance, the Jews managed to restore pure worship. Today, Jehovah is also our Great Instructor, and that makes us very happy.

9. What is one way that Jehovah guides us today?

9 It is a great honor that Jehovah teaches us. In these verses, Isaiah compares us to students who are taught by Jehovah in two ways. First of all, Isaiah says: "You will see your Great Teacher with your own eyes." In this comparison, the instructor is standing in front of his students. How does Jehovah teach us today? By organizing it. We are very grateful for the clear teaching that he gives us by organizing him through meetings, assemblies, publications, JW Broadcasting® programs and in many other ways. All this guidance helps us to endure with joy in difficult times.

10. How do we hear God's voice behind us?

10 Isaiah shows the second way in which Jehovah teaches us by saying: “You will hear with your own ears these words behind you.” Now the prophet presents Jehovah as an instructor who walks behind his students attentive to his steps and who guides them so they know where they should go. How do we hear God's voice behind us today? Bible reading. In it were written many years ago the inspired words of God. So when we read it it is as if we heard the voice of Jehovah speaking to us from behind, from behind in time (Is. 51:4).

11. What must we do to endure with joy, and why?

11 What do we need to do to make the most of Jehovah's guidance through his organization and his Word? Isaiah mentions two things. First he says “This is the way”, and second, “Walk in it” (Is. 30:21). So it is not enough to know "the way", we must also walk in it. Thanks to Jehovah's Word and the explanations that his organization gives us, we learn what Jehovah expects of us and how to put into practice what he teaches us. We must do these two things to endure joyfully in our service to Jehovah. Only then will we be sure that he will bless us.

JEHOVAH BLESSES US

12. According to Isaiah 30:23-26, how would Jehovah bless his people?

12 (Read Isaiah 30:23-26). How was this prophecy fulfilled in the past? The Jews who returned to Israel after the Babylonian exile received many blessings, both physical and spiritual. Jehovah gave them a large amount of physical food. But there was something more important. As pure worship was restored, he gave them more and more spiritual food. God's people at that time had never before enjoyed so many spiritual blessings. As verse 26 indicates, Jehovah made the spiritual light shine brightly (Isa. 60:2). Thanks to those blessings, his people had joy and strength to continue serving him . No doubt their hearts felt good (Is. 65:14).

13. How has the prophecy about the restoration of pure worship been fulfilled in our day?

13 Has the prophecy about the restoration of pure worship been fulfilled in our days? Of course yes. Since 1919, millions of people have freed themselves from Babylon the Great, the collection of false religions of this world. All of them have been taken to a place much better than the Promised Land: to a spiritual paradise (Is. 51:3; 66:8). What is that spiritual paradise?

14. What is the spiritual paradise, and who lives in it today? (See note).

14 Since 1919, the anointed have enjoyed the spiritual paradise.   With the passage of time, Christians who hope to live on earth, the “other sheep”, have also entered this spiritual land and have received many blessings from Jehovah (John 10:16; Is. 25: 6;65:13).

IMPORTANT IDEA: The expression spiritual paradise refers to the safe environment in which we worship together with Jehovah. In it we receive a lot of spiritual food that is not contaminated with religious lies. We have a job that we love: preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. We also have a close friendship with Jehovah and enjoy peace with our brothers, who love us and help us to joyfully endure life's problems. We enter this spiritual paradise when we begin to worship Jehovah in the right way and when we try our best to imitate him.

15. Where is the spiritual paradise?

15 Where is the spiritual paradise in our days? Since there are servants of Jehovah living all over the earth, this paradise also extends all over the world. So no matter what corner of the planet we live in, we can be part of the spiritual paradise as long as we wholeheartedly support true worship.

16. What must we do to continue seeing the beauty of the spiritual paradise?

16 One of the things we have to do to remain in the spiritual paradise is to continue to value the worldwide Christian congregation . How do we do that? Focusing on the beautiful things of those who live in it and not on their imperfections (John 17:20, 21). Why is it so important that we do it? Let's think about this comparison. In a beautiful forest there are many different trees. Similarly, in the spiritual paradise that we enjoy in congregations there are a great variety of people who are like trees (Is. 44:4; 61:3). Let's not let the defects of the "trees" that are closer to us prevent us from seeing the beauty of the "forest".That is, let us not allow our imperfections or those of the brothers in the congregation to prevent us from seeing the beauty and unity of the worldwide Christian congregation.

17. What can each of us do to strengthen the unity of the congregation?

17 What can each of us do to strengthen this unity? Strive to foster peace (Matt. 5:9; Rom. 12:18). Every time we take the initiative to get along with the brothers in the congregation, we make the spiritual paradise more beautiful. We keep in mind that Jehovah brought all who are in the spiritual paradise to pure worship (John 6:44). Imagine how happy he must feel when he sees that we strive to strengthen peace and unity among his servants, who are very valuable to him (Is. 26: 3; Haggai 2: 7).

ILLUSTRATION

Picture series: 1. A brother accepts an apology from another brother at the Kingdom Hall. 2. A beautiful forest of different colors that covers the side of a mountain.

What can each of us do to make the spiritual paradise more beautiful? (See paragraphs 16 and 17).

18. What should we often meditate on, and why?

18 What can we do to make the most of the blessings Jehovah gives his servants? Let's think carefully about what we learn in God's Word and in our publications. If we study and meditate, we will develop Christian qualities that will prompt us to show each other “brotherly love” and “tender affection” in the congregation (Rom. 12:10). As we meditate on the blessings we have now, our friendship with Jehovah is strengthened. And as we meditate on the blessings that Jehovah will give us in the future, the hope of serving him forever will remain very much alive in our hearts. All this will make us serve Jehovah with more joy.

DECIDED TO HOLD ON

19. (a) According to Isaiah 30:18, what can we be sure of? (b) What will help us to endure with joy?

19 Jehovah will “rise” to act on our behalf when he puts an end to this wicked world (Is. 30:18). Since he is “a God of justice”, a). we are sure that he will not allow Satan's world to exist one day longer than justice demands (Is. 25:9). Both Jehovah and we wait patiently for the day of our deliverance to arrive. In the meantime, we are determined to b). value the honor of praying to him, to study his Word and put it into practice, and to meditate on our blessings. If we continue to do all of this, Jehovah will help us to serve him with endurance and joy.

HOW DOES ISAIAH CHAPTER 30 REMIND US THAT JEHOVAH IS WILLING TO DO THE NEXT FOR US?

Listen to us.

Today, we are also very encouraged by these words. Isaiah assures us that Jehovah will listen attentively to our prayers and that he will answer them promptly. These comforting words remind us that our Father is not only willing to come to the aid of those who ask him for help, but that he desires to do so with all his heart.

Guide us.

Through your organization. We greatly appreciate the clear teaching your organization gives us through meetings, assemblies, publications, JW Broadcasting® programs, and in many other ways. All this guidance helps us to endure with joy in difficult times.

Bless us.

Since 1919, millions of people have freed themselves from Babylon the Great, the collection of false religions of this world. All of them have been taken to a place much better than the Promised Land: to a spiritual paradise.