DAILY TEXT, From today Wednesday July 26, 2023, Expectations that take time to be fulfilled make the heart sick (Prov. 13:12).

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Wednesday July 26

Expectations that are slow to be fulfilled make the heart sick (Prov. 13:12).

If we ask Jehovah for strength to face a problem or a weakness, we may feel that he is taking longer to answer us than we expected. Why doesn't Jehovah answer all our prayers instantly? He considers them a test of the faith we have (Heb. 11: 6). In addition, he is very interested in seeing if we are truly determined to live in harmony with what we ask of him and to do his will (1 John 3:22). So if we are trying to overcome a bad habit or weakness, we may have to be patient and act on our prayers. Jesus implied that God might not answer some of our prayers right away by saying: “Keep asking and it will be given to you, keep seeking and you will find, keep knocking on the door and it will be opened for you. Because everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to everyone who knocks the door will be opened” (Matt. 7:7, 8). w21.08 31:1, 9, 10.

How does Hebrews 4:16 help us when the answer to a prayer seems slow in coming?

It may seem like the answer to a prayer is slow in coming, but Jehovah promises that he will answer us “just in time” (read Hebrews 4:16). So we should never think that Jehovah is making a mistake if he does not answer us when it seems to us that he should. For example, many have been asking him for years to let them see how his Kingdom put an end to this system. Jesus even said to ask for the Kingdom of God to come (Matt. 6:10). But how foolish it would be for us to lose faith in God because the end did not come when we expected it (Hab. 2:3; Matt. 24:44). The wise thing is to keep waiting for Jehovah to act and praying with faith. The end will come just in time because Jehovah has already set “the day and the hour.” And it will be the best time for everyone (Matt. 24:36; 2 Pet. 3:15).

When can it be especially difficult to be patient?

When we suffer injustices. Today, people mistreat those who are different because of their gender, race, ethnicity, culture, nationality, or because of a physical or mental disability. Many servants of God have been wronged for their Bible-based beliefs. If we are in one of those cases, let us remember these words of Jesus: "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matt. 24:13). But what if we find out that someone in the congregation has committed a serious sin? If the elders already know, will we be patient and trust that they will deal with the matter following Jehovah's guidance? What will they do?

How does Jehovah want cases of serious sin to be dealt with?

When the elders learn that someone in the congregation has committed a serious sin, they ask Jehovah to give them “wisdom from above” so that they can see the situation as he sees it.—James 3:17. His goal is to help the person who has sinned back “from his evil way,” if possible (James 5:19, 20). They also want to do everything in their power to protect the congregation and to comfort those who are hurting (2 Cor. 1:3, 4). When dealing with serious sins, the first thing elders should do is get all the facts. This takes time. Then they should pray, carefully counsel the person using the Bible, and correct him “to the proper degree” (Jer. 30:11). Sure, they won't delay their decision unnecessarily, but they won't make it in a rush either. When elders follow Jehovah's leading, the greatest benefit is achieved for all in the congregation. Even so, there may be some innocent victim who still feels hurt. If that is our case, what can we do to ease the pain we feel?

What biblical example can help us if a brother has hurt us a lot?

Has someone ever done us a lot of harm, maybe even within the congregation? If so, we can find examples in God's Word to help us wait for Jehovah to put things right. For example, Joseph did not allow the injustices and sins that his brothers committed against him to embitter him. Rather, he remained focused on serving Jehovah, and he blessed him for his patience and his endurance (Gen. 39:21). In time, Joseph was able to forgive his brothers and see how Jehovah had blessed him (Gen. 45:5). Like Joseph, we feel comfort when we draw close to Jehovah and let him do justice (Ps. 7:17; 73:28).

What helped a sister to bear an injustice patiently?

Of course, we may not suffer injustices as serious as José, but it hurts us all to be treated badly. In any case, if we have a problem with someone, even if he is not a Jehovah's Witness, he will do us good by following Biblical principles (Phil. 2: 3, 4). Let's see what a sister did when she found out that a co-worker was saying bad things about her that weren't true. Although she was very hurt, she did not get carried away by anger, but she began to think about the example of Jesus, that she did not return the insults when they were insulting him (1 Pet. 2:21, 23). So the sister decided not to give importance to what had happened. She later found out that her partner suffered from a serious health problem and her nerves were on edge. The sister came to the conclusion that her companion probably did not have bad intentions.

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