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“He will make them firm, he will make them strong, he will put them on a solid foundation” (1 PET. 5:10).
1. Where did the servants of God of the past draw strength from?
The servants of the past drew strength because Jehovah gave them strength through his spirit. Often the servants of God of the past, although they are presented as powerful and strong people, did not always feel that way. For this reason they turned to God because they recognized that without the power of God they would be weak and afraid.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In many passages of the Bible we see how Jehovah's servants had enormous strength, but that physical or spiritual strength always came from Jehovah.
For example, Samson, when he had Jehovah's favor, was strong, but when he let him down, he lost that favor. Or David, which he wrote in Psalm 30:7. “O Jehovah, when I had your favor, you made me as strong as a mountain,” But when you looked away, I was terrified. Therefore these stories are a tangible example that both spiritual and physical strength come from our creator, Jehovah.
2. Why did the apostle Paul say that he was weak and yet powerful? (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10).
Listening to the words of the apostle Paul, we might think that it makes no sense that someone who is weak can feel powerful at the same time. The context of these words were written when Paul had many health problems, he also struggled to do the right thing and at times he felt distressed and feared for his life. But Paul said that he felt powerful because Jehovah gave him the strength he lacked and those strength made him powerful.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
We know that Paul was a man faithful to Jehovah, but he was not in good health, this situation meant that he needed the love of the people and the help of Jehovah.
He himself wrote in his letter to Romans 7:18-19, that there was nothing good in him, that is, in his flesh, since he wanted to do what was right, but he was not able to do it, since he did not do the right things. good things that they wanted to do, but they practiced the bad things that they did not want to do. As we can see, these words make us understand that Jehovah gave Paul the strength he lacked and thus he could feel powerful, to move forward even though his circumstances were not at all favorable.
3. What questions will we answer in this article?
In the article, we will see how Jehovah strengthened Jonah, Paul and Mary, the mother of Jesus. We will see how he promises us that he will also make us strong. And we will answer the following questions: What help has Jehovah given us so that we can be strong? And what do we have to do to take advantage of them?
4. What can we do to receive Jehovah's strength?
Prayer is essential to receive the strength of Jehovah. For this reason in 2 Corinthians 4:7, he guarantees us that he answers our prayers by giving us Power beyond the normal.
And something we can also do is read His word and reflect on it, since by doing so the Bible will act with power and thus we will be able to receive the necessary strength to endure and continue serving Him with joy or with a challenging responsibility that we believe we will not be able to do. front facing.
5. Why did Jonah need strength?
Jehovah had entrusted Jonah with a very important mission, but Jonah did not feel capable of fulfilling this mission, because he was very afraid. For this reason, Jonas needed strength to fulfill the mission that Jehovah had entrusted to him.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
As we have seen in previous paragraphs, we all need to be strong sometimes and fight our fears. In the case of Jonah, that also happened. Even knowing that Jehovah would protect him, Jonah was afraid when it came to complying with Jehovah's command. He was so afraid that he fled on a boat so as not to face what Jehovah had commanded him.
As we very well know, the ship he was traveling in was involved in a storm and the others who were with him threw him overboard into the sea. When Jonah realized it, he was inside a large fish that had swallowed him. We can get an idea of the distressing feelings and thoughts that will invade Jonah. Surely he would think that Jehovah had not abandoned him.
6. What gave Jonah strength in the belly of the fish? (Jonah 2:1, 2, 7).
Jonah was repentant, and repentance motivated him to make a prayer to Jehovah from that lonely place. Although Jonah had disobeyed, he knew that Jehovah would hear his humble prayer.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jonah was aware that he had disobeyed Jehovah, but he was truly sorry, and he knew that with that sincere repentance, Jehovah would listen to him.
In Jonah 2:1-10 we can see the prayer that Jonah made to Jehovah, highlighting verse 9 in which we see Jonah's repentance, when he promises that he would make sacrifices to Jehovah, and that the vows he had made he would carry out. achieve. Jonah's repentance accompanied by sincere prayer made Jehovah give him a second opportunity to go to Nineveh to announce to its inhabitants that the city would be destroyed within 40 days.
7, 8. What helped a brother be strong during difficult times?
Zhiming, a brother from Taiwan, comments that the first thing he did was pray to Jehovah, then he would put on his headphones and listen to some Kingdom songs, and sometimes he would sing them quietly, which helped him calm down, and he was calm then. I started studying.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
As we have seen, the best help we receive is prayer and Bible study. The paragraph tells us the experience of a brother from Taiwan. This brother suffers from a health problem, and his family also opposes him being a Jehovah's Witness. This Brother remembers how after an operation, it was suggested that he accept a blood transfusion to increase his red blood cells, but he had read about a sister, who in a similar situation was able to recover without that transfusion.
Therefore, we see that prayer, in Bible study and reading jw.org publications, helps us in difficult times.
9. What can you do if a test has left you powerless? (See also images).
If a trial has left us without strength, we must be convinced that by making a simple prayer, Jehovah will give us what we need.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Also if due to some physical or emotional pain it is difficult for us to read and study, the paragraph encourages us to listen to the recordings of The Bible or our publications. You can also help us by playing one of our songs or a video from jw.org.
Perhaps the trials we go through manage to discourage us or leave us without the strength to pray or study. In this case, we must know that Jehovah knows perfectly well what we are going through. That is why we must make an effort to pray because no matter how simple it seems to us, Jehovah will answer us by giving us what we need.
ILLUSTRATION
Series of images: 1. Jonah prays from his heart to Jehovah in the belly of a fish. 2. A brother prays heartily to Jehovah in his bedroom. Next to him he has a Bible and a telephone with headphones. Like the prophet Jonah, what can give us strength to endure a trial? (See paragraphs 6 to 9).
BROTHERS GIVE US STRENGTH
10. How do brothers give us strength?
Proverbs 17:17 tells us that a true friend is in times of trouble, since at that time we need a true friend. For this reason, if we feel weak, our dear brothers can give us physical, emotional and spiritual help.
Brothers can help us overcome a weakness or a difficult situation we may be going through.
11. Why did Mary need strength?
In the case of María, let us remember that she did not have the experience of being a mother. However, she had the great responsibility of raising the one who would be the Messiah. She had also never had sexual relations, and now she would have to explain to her fiancé José that she was pregnant, for this reason we see that Mary needed strength to face this great task.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
As we read in Luke 1:26-33, Mary was a young virgin engaged to be married to Joseph, to whom the Angel Gabriel appeared to announce that she was going to have a son, whom she should call Jesus, and whom Jehovah would give the throne that would have no end.
Seeing this Biblical passage we understand that Mary received a very great responsibility. She was going to get pregnant, and she had no experience as a mother, she was not married and she also had to explain all of this to her fiancé José of her.
12. According to Luke 1:39-45, how did Mary receive the strength she needed?
To receive the strength she needed, Maria first had to rely on others. For example, she told Gabriel to give her more information about the task Jehovah had given him.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
As we can see in Luke 139:45, Mary made a long journey through the mountainous region of Judah to visit her relative Elizabeth, and as the story shows, the visit was worth it since Elizabeth congratulated Mary and through the spirit of God spoke a encouraging prophecy about the baby she was going to have. Mary relied on other people to be able to carry the responsibility that Jehovah had entrusted to her.
We see that Mary received the strength she needed from Jehovah through the Angel Gabriel and Elizabeth.
13. What happened when Dasurí asked the brothers for help?
When she asked the Dasuri brothers for help, she felt strengthened and encouraged, and we say this because when she decided to write to some friends to explain her situation, experience says that the brothers brought her food to the hospital and encouraged her a lot with biblical texts. Hence the importance of not isolating ourselves and asking for help when we are going through complicated situations.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The experience of this sister from Bolivia tells how she tried to be a good daughter for her father, who had a terminal illness. It was a complicated task, she and sometimes she felt like she couldn't take it anymore. Still, Ella didn't want to ask the brothers for help, because she didn't want to be a burden. But she realized that in this way she is isolating herself and being left alone with her problem.
In Proverb 18:1 we see that he who isolates himself pursues his selfish desire and rejects all practical wisdom. Therefore, let us not be like that. Let us lean on our brothers, if we do so we will be able to make our own the words of the sister who said: “How nice it is to feel that we are not alone. "We belong to Jehovah's great family, a family that is willing to help us with whatever we need, to cry and fight by our side."
14. Why should we accept help from the elderly?
We should accept the help of the elders because as the paragraph mentions, Jehovah uses them to give us strength and they are a gift that he gives us to strengthen and comfort us. Hence the importance of being obedient to this suggestion that Jehovah gives us, which is for our own good.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
It is good for us to accept the help of our brothers. Much more if that help comes from the elders, because they are the ones in charge of Jehovah to guide his flock. For this reason, let us not hesitate to use this help from Jehovah.
In Isaiah 32:1,2 we are detailed about the qualities that the elderly have. Therefore, if we have a problem, or something that worries us, they will help us, give us strength and comfort us. That is why we always accept the help of the elderly.
OUR HOPE GIVES US STRENGTH
15. What beautiful hope do all Christians have?
All Christians have the hope of living forever, some in heaven and others on earth. Therefore, having that active, present Hope and above all having that hope placed in Jehovah, makes us have the strength to endure the trials that we have to face in our daily lives.
Romans 4:3, Mentions that Abraham put faith in Jehovah and was considered righteous. In the same way, let us also put that hope in Jehovah and we will see it fulfilled.
16. Why did the apostle Paul need strength?
We say that Paul needed strength because in his letter to the Corinthians he considered himself as fragile as a clay pot. And he also said that they had oppressed, persecuted and knocked him down and that on some occasions he was indecisive and there were even times when he was on the verge of losing his life.
This makes us reflect, today, that we may find ourselves in situations similar to Paul's, but if we keep our faith in Jehovah and maintain hope in his promise, things will go well for us.
17. According to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, what gave Paul strength to endure trials?
What gave Paul strength to endure the trials was to focus on his hope, and we say this because he told the brothers in Corinth that although his body was wasting away, his spirit was intact. This attitude shows that Paul focused on the life he would have in the future and not on the trials he had to endure.
In the text, he himself said that our bodies wear out with each test, but our inner self is renewed with each test. We see that with each test we go through we keep our sights set on the reward of eternal life.
18. How does hope strengthen Tíjomir and his family?
Focusing on hope gives him and his family the strength to continue holding on. Doing this helps his hope become stronger and stronger.
This brother's family from Bulgaria lost one of its members in a traffic accident. Although at first the brother was devastated, he realized that by talking with his family about what the resurrection of his loved ones will be like, what food they will make or what details of these last days they will tell him, they saw that it gave them strength to continue. facing that pain. Therefore, having hope can give us the strength we need.
19. What can you do to strengthen your hope? (See also the image).
In our publications we have many images of paradise. What we can do is let our imagination fly by seeing these images, since they will help us visualize ourselves in paradise. We can also watch music videos such as: "True life", "Very close" or "Contemplate that day". Because if we have the habit of thinking about what life will be like in the new world, the difficulties will seem momentary and light.
It is very good that we imagine ourselves in paradise, that we imagine who is with us, what we see and what we hear. If we visualize what our life in paradise will be like, the current difficulties will seem more bearable.
If we apply the words of Isaiah 25:8, we will keep our hope in Jehovah and he will make us strong.
ILLUSTRATION
A deaf sister watches the “True Life” music video in sign language and ponders what her life will be like in the new world. She imagines herself playing the cello alongside other musicians. What does she imagine her life will be like in the new world? (See paragraph 19).
20. Where will we get strength even in the moments when we feel weak?
At times when we feel weak, we must remember that Jehovah through his glorious power will strengthen us with all the power necessary to endure everything with patience and happiness, as mentioned in Colossians 1:11.
In Psalm 108:13, it mentions that through God we will have strength, and he will trample our adversaries. That's why when we have to endure a trial, and we see ourselves weak, let's ask our brothers and elders for help. Furthermore, let us pray to Jehovah and study his word in the Bible. If we do, Jehovah will bless us with everything we need to endure.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
How do prayer and personal study give us strength?
In Hebrews 4:12 we see that the word of God is alive and works with power. Therefore, Jehovah will give us the necessary strength to endure and continue serving him, so we can continue fulfilling our responsibilities.
How do brothers give us strength?
A brother can be a great source of comfort, as they can help us overcome a weakness, or a difficult situation we may be going through. Brothers can help us physically, emotionally and spiritually.
How does our hope give us strength?
Our bodies wear out with each test we go through, but our inner self is renewed with each one of them. We learned that if we keep our eyes fixed on the reward of eternal life, and put our hope in Jehovah. Everything will go very well for us.
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