DAILY TEXT, From today  Monday, September 11, 2023,  Keep asking (Matt. 7:7).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2023

Monday September 11

Keep asking (Matt. 7:7).

If we persevere in prayer, we can be sure that our heavenly Father will hear us (Col. 4:2). The answer may seem slow in coming, but Jehovah promises that he will respond “just in time” (Heb. 4:16). So we should never think that Jehovah is making a mistake if he does not respond to us when it seems to us that he should. For example, many have been asking him for years to allow them to see how his Kingdom ends 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 has not come when we expected it (Hab. 2:3; Matt. 24:44). The wise thing is to continue 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). w21.08 10 paras. 10, 11.

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 some physical or mental disability. Many servants of God have been treated unfairly because of 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 them to handle the matter following Jehovah's guidance? What will they do?

How does Jehovah want cases of serious sins to be handled?

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.​—Jas. 3:17. Its goal is to help the person who has sinned to return “from his evil way,” if possible (James 5:19, 20). They also want to do everything they can 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 obtain all the facts. This takes time. Then, they should pray, carefully counsel the person using the Bible, and give correction “to the degree due” (Jer. 30:11). Sure, they won't delay their decision unnecessarily, but they won't make it hastily either. When elders follow Jehovah's guidance, the greatest benefit is achieved for everyone in the congregation. Still, there may be some innocent victim who still feels hurt. If that is our case, what can we do to alleviate the pain we feel?

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

Have we ever been really hurt by someone, perhaps even within the congregation? If so, in God's Word we can find examples that help us wait for Jehovah to fix things. For example, Joseph did not allow himself to be embittered by the injustices and sins that his brothers committed against him. Rather, he remained focused on serving Jehovah, and he blessed him for his patience and 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 find comfort when we draw close to Jehovah and let him do justice. (Ps. 7:17; 73:28)

What helped a sister endure injustice with patience?

Sure, we may not suffer injustices as grave as Joseph, but it hurts all of us 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 to follow Bible principles (Phil. 2:3, 4). Let's look at what a sister did when she discovered that a coworker was saying bad things about her that weren't true. Although she was very hurt, she did not give in to anger, but rather she began to think about the example of Jesus, who did not return insults when he was being insulted (1 Pet. 2:21, 23). So the sister decided not to give importance to what had happened. Later she found out that her colleague was suffering from a serious health problem and was on edge. The sister concluded that her partner probably had no bad intentions.

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