DAILY TEXT, From today Wednesday August 9, Taste and see that Jehovah is good; happy is the man who takes refuge in him (Ps. 34:8).

DAILY TEXT, From today  Wednesday August 9, 2023,  Taste and see that Jehovah is good; happy is the man who takes refuge in him (Ps. 34:8).

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Wednesday August 9

Taste and see that Jehovah is good; happy is the man who takes refuge in him (Ps. 34:8).

What can we do now to prepare for the future? We must be content with what is necessary and feel very happy to be Jehovah's friends. The better we know our God, the more convinced we will be that he can protect us when Gog of Magog attacks us. The words of today's text reveal to us why David knew that he could count on Jehovah's backing. He often leaned on his God, and it never failed him. When he was young, David confronted a giant Philistine warrior named Goliath and told him: “This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hands” (1 Sam. 17:46). Later, when he was in the service of King Saul, he tried to kill him several times, but "the Lord was with David" (1 Sam. 18:12). Since he had seen the hand of Jehovah in the past, he knew that he would now continue to help him. w22.01 1:14, 15.

How do we know that David trusted in Jehovah and not in himself?

David knew that Jehovah is loyal and cares deeply for those who love him. Although his life was in danger when he composed Psalm 34, his faith was so strong that he felt as if the angel of Jehovah were encamping around him (Ps. 34:7). Apparently, David compared the angel of the Lord to a soldier who was camping, very alert in case the enemy appeared. Although David was a mighty warrior and Jehovah had promised him that he would become king, he did not trust his ability to throw a stone or use a sword to defeat his enemies (1 Sam. 16:13; 24 :12). Rather, he trusted in God and his angel rescues those who fear him. Of course, we don't expect him to miraculously protect us today. But what we do know is that no servant of God who trusts in him will suffer permanent harm.

When Gog of Magog launches his attack, why will it look like we're easy targets, but why won't we be afraid? (See cover drawing.)

In the near future, our confidence in Jehovah's ability to protect us will be tested. When Gog of Magog, a coalition or group of nations, attacks us, we may think that he will end our lives. Then we will have to be convinced that Jehovah can and will deliver us. To the nations we will be like defenseless sheep that have no one to protect them (Ezek. 38:10-12). They will think that we are an easy target, because we have no weapons or training for war. They will not see what we will see with the eyes of faith: an army of angels camping around the people of God ready to defend us. How could the nations see it, if they do not have faith in Jehovah? What a surprise they will be in for when the armies of heaven come to the rescue! (Rev. 19:11, 14, 15).

In what ways can we prove that Jehovah is good?

The more we seek Jehovah's guidance now, the more confident we will be that he will help us in the future. For example, we must have faith and trust in Jehovah to ask our employer to give us free time to go to an assembly or to ask him to make changes to our schedule so that we can go to all the meetings and preach more. Let's imagine that he rejects our request and we lose our job. Do we have faith that Jehovah will never leave us and never forsake us, and that he will always give us the things we need? (Heb. 13:5). Many brothers in full-time service can tell how Jehovah helped them when they needed it most. Jehovah is faithful.

What is the 2022 yeartext, and why is it so timely?

With Jehovah on our side, we need not fear what happens in the future. If we put him first in our lives, he will never leave us. To remind us of the need to prepare now for the difficult days ahead and trust that Jehovah will never leave us, the Governing Body has chosen Psalm 34:10 as the yeartext for 2022: “Those who seek Jehovah will not nothing good will be missing."

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