Study From The Watchtower, Week of July 17 to 23, 2023, How Jehovah Answers Our Prayers, Underlined Answers.

Study From The Watchtower, 17-23-July-2023, How Jehovah Answers Our Prayers, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Answer.

Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

“We know that we will have what we ask for because we have asked him” (1 JOHN 5:15).

1, 2. What might we wonder?

HAVE YOU ever wondered if Jehovah answers your prayers ? If so, he's not the only one. Many brothers admit that they have asked themselves that same question, especially when going through problems. It may be hard for us, too, to see how Jehovah answers our prayers if we are suffering.

2 In this article, we will review why we can be sure that Jehovah answers the prayers of his servants (1 John 5:15). We'll also look at why our prayers can sometimes seem unanswered and in what ways Jehovah does answer them.

JEHOVAH MAY NOT ANSWER US IN THE WAY WE EXPECT

3. Why does Jehovah want us to pray to him?

3 The Bible assures us that Jehovah loves us very much and that we are very valuable to him (Haggai 2:7; 1 John 4:10). For that reason he invites us to pray to him and ask him for help (1 Pet. 5: 6, 7). He wants to help us to stay close to him and to put up with all our problems.

4. How do we know that Jehovah answers the prayers of his servants? (See also image).

4 In the Bible, we find many stories in which Jehovah answered the prayers of his servants. Perhaps the example of King David comes to mind. Throughout his life, David faced many dangerous enemies, and many times he asked Jehovah for help. On one occasion he pleaded with him: “O Jehovah, hear my prayer; listen to my plea for help. By your faithfulness and your justice, answer me ′′ (Ps. 143:1). Jehovah answered his prayers and rescued him (1 Sam. 19:10, 18-20; 2 Sam. 5:17-25). That is why David confidently said: “Jehovah is near to all who call on him.” And we can be just as certain (Ps. 145:18).

ILLUSTRATION

David dodges a spear thrown at him while playing the harp. Jehovah answered David's prayers by rescuing him from his enemies. (See paragraph 4).

5. Did Jehovah always answer the prayers of his servants as they expected? Give an example. (See also image).

5 Jehovah may not answer our prayers in the way we expect. That is what happened to the apostle Paul. He had "a thorn in his flesh," a serious problem, and he begged God three times to remove it. Did Jehovah answer his prayers? Yes, but not in the way that Pablo expected. Instead of removing the problem, Jehovah gave him the strength he needed to continue serving him faithfully (2 Cor. 12: 7-10).

ILLUSTRATION

The apostle Paul pleads with Jehovah for help. Jehovah answered Paul's prayers by giving him the strength to endure. (See paragraph 5).

6. Why can it sometimes seem that Jehovah is not answering our prayers?

6 Perhaps we, too, will receive an answer that is not what we expected . But we can be sure that Jehovah knows what is best for us. He even "can do infinitely more than anything we ask or imagine" (Eph. 3:20). For that reason, his answer could come at a time or in a way that we had not imagined.

7. Why might we need to modify our petitions to Jehovah? Give an example.

7 We may need to modify our petitions to Jehovah as we come to better understand his will. Let's seethe example of Brother Martin Poetzinger. Shortly after they were married, he was sent to a Nazi concentration camp. At first he asked Jehovah to set him free so he could be with his wife and resume preaching. But two weeks passed and it did not seem that Jehovah was going to release him. So Brother Poetzinger said, "Please help me see what you want me to do." Then he began to think about all the problems that the brothers who were also in the concentration camp were going through. Many of them were very worried about their wives and children. So Brother Poetzinger said to Jehovah: “Thank you for my new assignment. Help me strengthen and encourage my brothers.” And that was just what he did during the nine years he spent in prison.

8. What is important for us to remember when we pray?

8 We must remember that Jehovah has a purpose, and he will fulfill it in due time. That purpose includes completely and forever eliminating all that he causes us to suffer, such as natural disasters, disease, and death. Jehovah will use his Kingdom to carry out what he has promised (Dan. 2:44; Rev. 21:3, 4). But until then he allows Satan to rule the world (John 12:31; Rev. 12:9). If Jehovah were to solve all of humanity's problems now, it might seem that Satan is not doing so badly. So even though we have to wait for Jehovah to fulfill some of his promises, that doesn't mean he won't help us. Let's look at some of the things Jehovah does for us.

IN WHAT WAYS DOES JEHOVAH ANSWER OUR PRAYERS?

9. How does Jehovah help us when we have to make decisions? Give an example.

9 Gives us wisdom. Jehovah promises to give us the wisdom we need to make good decisions. Above all, we need him to give us his wisdom when it comes to decisions that will mark the rest of our lives, such as whether to marry or not (James 1: 5). Let's see the experience ofan unmarried sister named Maria. She was joyfully serving Jehovah as a regular pioneer when she met a brother. She recounts: “Over time we became good friends and started to have feelings for each other. I knew I had to make a decision. So I prayed long and hard about the matter. I needed Jehovah's guidance, but I knew that he was not going to decide for me.” Mary feels that Jehovah answered her prayers and gave her wisdom. How? She searched our publications for information and found several articles that answered the questions she had. In addition, her mother, who is a Witness, gave her some good advice that helped her analyze her feelings. In the end, she Maria made a wise decision.

10. According to Philippians 4:13, how will Jehovah help his servants? Give an example. (See also image).

10 Gives us the strength to endure. Just as he did with the apostle Paul, Jehovah will give us the strength we need to endure difficulties.—Read Philippians 4:13. Let's look at how he helped a brother named Benjamin. From a very young age, he spent many years living with his family in refugee camps in Africa. He says: “He constantly prayed to Jehovah and asked him to give me the strength to do the right thing. He answered my prayers by giving me inner peace, courage to continue preaching, and publications to keep me spiritually strong.” And he adds: “Reading the experiences of other Witnesses and seeing how Jehovah helped them endure encouraged me not to give up and to remain faithful.”

ILLUSTRATION

A brother living in a refugee camp reads the Bible. How does Jehovah give us the strength to endure? (See paragraph 10).

11, 12. How can Jehovah use our spiritual family to answer our prayers? (See also image).

11 Use our spiritual family. The night before giving his life, Jesus prayed intensely. He pleaded with Jehovah to spare him the dishonor of being accused of blaspheming him. Instead, Jehovah helped him by sending an angel, a spiritual brother of Jesus, to strengthen him (Luke 22:42, 43). Likewise, Jehovah may help us through a call or an encouraging visit from one of our brothers. We can all look for opportunities to give “a good word” to our fellow Christians (Prov. 12:25).

12 Let's see the experience of a sister named Míriam . A few weeks after her husband's death , she was home alone , feeling broken and depressed. She couldn't stop crying and she needed to talk to someone. She says: “I didn't have the strength to call anyone, so I prayed to Jehovah. While she was still tearfully praying, the phone rang. He was an old man, a good friend. He and her wife comforted Miriam, and she is convinced that it was Jehovah who caused this brother to call her.

ILLUSTRATION

Have you seen how Jehovah has used the brothers to help you? (See paragraphs 11 and 12).

13. Give an example of how Jehovah can use people who do not worship him to answer our prayers.

13 You can use people who do not worship you (Prov. 21:1). Sometimes Jehovah answers the prayers of his servants by having people who do not worship him help them. For example, he had King Artaxerxes give Nehemiah permission to return to Jerusalem and help rebuild the city (Neh. 2:3-6). And today Jehovah can get even non-Witnesses to help us when we need it.

14. How does Soo Hing's experience encourage you? (See also image).

14 A sister named Soo Hing felt that Jehovah used her doctor to help her. Her son, who has various mental illnesses, suffered a terrible accident. So Soo Hing and her husband left work to take care of him. This brought them financial problems. The situation was so complicated that Soo Hing said that she couldn't take it anymore, that she was at the limit of her strength. So she opened her heart to Jehovah and asked for his help. The doctor took an interest in her case, and thanks to that they got help from the government and a cheaper place to live. Then Soo Hing said, “We saw Jehovah's hand in this whole thing. Surely he 'hears prayers'” (Ps. 65:2).

ILLUSTRATION

A doctor shows a printed document to a married couple How can Jehovah use non-Witnesses to help us? (See paragraphs 13 and 14).

WE NEED FAITH TO SEE AND ACCEPT JEHOVAH'S ANSWER

15. What helped a sister to see that Jehovah did answer her prayers?

15 Usually, Jehovah does not answer our prayers in a spectacular way. But the answers he gives us are just what we need to stay loyal. So you have to be very attentive to see how our heavenly Father answers us. It seemed to a sister named Yoko that her prayers were unanswered. But she then she began to put in writing everything that she asked Jehovah. After a while, she reviewed her notes and realized that Jehovah had answered most of her prayers, including some that she didn't even remember. It is good that from time to time we take time to meditate on how Jehovah is answering our prayers (Ps. 66:19, 20).

16. How does faith help us when we pray? (Hebrews 11:6).

16 It takes faith not only to pray to Jehovah, but also to accept his answer, whatever it may be. —Read Hebrews 11:6. Let's look at the example of Mike and Chrissy, a couple who had the goal of serving at Bethel. Mike says, “We applied many times and constantly prayed to Jehovah about this matter, but we were never invited.” Mike and Chrissy did not stop trusting that Jehovah knew where they would be most useful. They continued to do all they could, serving as regular pioneers where help was needed in the preaching work and assisting in construction projects. Now they are in the circuit work. Mike explains:“Jehovah has not always answered our prayers in the way we expected, but he has answered them, and he has done so even better than we had imagined.”

17, 18. According to Psalm 86:6, 7, of what are we sure?

17 (Read Psalm 86:6, 7). David was convinced that Jehovah heard and answered his prayers. You can have that same security. The examples we have discussed in this article show us that Jehovah can give us the wisdom and strength we need to endure. We have also seen that he can use our spiritual family or even people who do not worship him to help us.

18 Although Jehovah may not always answer our prayers the way we expect, we know that he will. He will give us just what we need and he will do it at the most opportune moment. So let us continue to pray in faith, certain that Jehovah will take care of us now and that in the new world he will fulfill “the desire of all living things” (Ps. 145: 16).

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

Why might Jehovah not answer our prayers in the way we expect?

If Jehovah were to solve all of humanity's problems now, it might seem that Satan is not doing so badly. So even though we have to wait for Jehovah to fulfill some of his promises, that doesn't mean he won't help us.

Perhaps we, too, will receive an answer that is not what we expected. But we can be sure that Jehovah knows what is best for us. He even "can do infinitely more than anything we ask or imagine."

In what ways does Jehovah answer our prayers?

Jehovah promises to give us the wisdom we need to make good decisions. Above all, we need him to give us his wisdom when it comes to decisions that will mark the rest of our lives, such as whether to marry or not.

It gives us wisdom.

It gives us the strength to endure.

Use our spiritual family.

You can use people who don't adore you.

How does faith help us when we pray?

We need faith to see and accept Jehovah's answer.

One must not only have faith to pray to Jehovah, but also to accept his answer, whatever it may be.