1. How did one runner show that she would not give up running races?

MARY DECKER was just a teenager when she became famous for running in races. By 1984, she had become such a good runner that many thought that she would win a gold medal at the Olympics. But something terrible happened. During the 3,000-meter race, she tripped on the leg of another runner and fell. She could not finish that race, but she did not give up running races. Less than a year later, she ran a one-mile race faster than any woman had ever run it before.

2. What kind of race do Christians run? How should we run it?

² Living as a Christian is like being in a race. It is a race for everlasting life. We should not let anything stop us from running this race. It is not a short race in which a person has to run as fast as possible to win. And it is not like a jog in which a person runs slowly and sometimes even stops. Instead, it is like a marathon. A marathon runner has to have endurance to keep running all the way to the end. The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth: “Do you not know that the runners in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may attain it.”​—1 Corinthians 9:24.

3. Who can win the race for everlasting life?

³ The Bible tells us to run in this race. (Read 1 Corinthians 9:25-27.) The prize is everlasting life. Unlike most races, in this race all who run can win the prize if they endure to the end. (Matthew 24:13) A person will lose the race only if he stops following the rules or stops running before the race is over. This is the only race that has everlasting life as its prize.

4. Why is it not easy to run the race for everlasting life?

⁴ It is not easy to run the race for everlasting life. Jesus Christ ran it without ever stumbling, but none of us can do that. James said that “we all stumble many times.” (James 3:2) Our imperfections or the imperfections of others can make us slow down in the race or even stop for a while. If this happens, we might need help to get back in the race. We should not be surprised if we stumble from time to time.​—1 Kings 8:46.

IF YOU STUMBLE, STAY IN THE RACE

5, 6. (a) Why is there “no stumbling block” for a Christian? What will help a Christian to “get up” when he stumbles? (b) Why do some not “get up” after they stumble?

⁵ What we do when we stumble or fall shows what kind of person we are. Some who stumble or fall get up and keep serving God. Others choose not to repent. Proverbs 24:16 says: “The righteous one may fall even seven times, and he will certainly get up; but the wicked ones will be made to stumble by calamity.”

⁶ Even if we stumble or fall, we can recover. As long as we trust in Jehovah, he is willing to help us when we have problems or make mistakes. He will help us to “get up,” because he knows that we love him. But wicked people do not want to get up. They refuse the help of God’s holy spirit and his people. The Bible says that “there is no stumbling block” for those who love Jehovah’s law. This means that we can get back in the race for everlasting life.​—Read Psalm 119:165.

7, 8. How can one “fall” and still keep God’s favor?

⁷ Sometimes a person sins because he has a weakness. He might make the same mistake over and over again. But Jehovah will still view him as righteous if he gets up each time, that is, sincerely repents and works hard to do what is right. God viewed the Israelites as righteous as long as they repented of their mistakes. (Isaiah 41:9, 10) Proverbs 24:16 does not stress the mistakes we make but instead shows that Jehovah will help us to “get up.” (Read Isaiah 55:7.) Jehovah God and Jesus Christ are confident that we will do our best, and they encourage us to “get up.”​—Psalm 86:5; John 5:19.

⁸ Even if a runner stumbles or falls in a marathon, he may have time to get up and keep running if he gets up quickly. We do not know the “day and hour” when the end of the race for everlasting life will come. (Matthew 24:36) But if we try hard not to stumble, it will be easier to keep running the race and finish it. So how can we avoid stumbling?

THINGS THAT CAN CAUSE US TO STUMBLE

9. What five things will we discuss?

⁹ We will discuss five things that can cause us to stumble: our weaknesses, the desires of the flesh, injustice in the congregation, tribulation or persecution, and the imperfections of others. If one of these things has made you stumble, remember that Jehovah is very patient and will not give up on you quickly.

10, 11. What weakness did David have?

¹⁰ Our weaknesses are like loose stones on a road. The lives of King David and the apostle Peter can teach us about two weaknesses. David did not always have self-control, and Peter was sometimes afraid of what other people thought of him.

¹¹ King David did not always control himself. Because of this weakness, he sinned with Bath-sheba. Later, he almost attacked Nabal, who had insulted him. Even though David sometimes did things without thinking, he never gave up trying to please Jehovah. With the help of others, he was able to “get up” after his mistakes.​—1 Samuel 25:5-13, 32, 33; 2 Samuel 12:1-13.

12. Even though he made mistakes, how did Peter stay in the race?

¹² Peter was afraid of what other people thought of him. He remained loyal to Jesus and Jehovah, but sometimes fear caused him to make mistakes. For example, three times he denied that he knew Jesus. (Luke 22:54-62) Another time, he treated some Christians as if they were better than other Christians. Peter had a wrong attitude, and others in the congregation could have imitated him. So Paul gave Peter strong counsel. (Galatians 2:11-14) Did Peter get offended at this counsel and stop running the race for life? No. He seriously thought about what Paul said, changed his attitude, and stayed in the race.

13. Why can health problems cause us to stumble?

¹³ Health problems can make our life very difficult. As a result, some give up running the race. For example, a sister in Japan got very sick 17 years after she was baptized. She allowed her health problems to cause her to become weak in the truth, and she became inactive. Then two elders visited her and encouraged her. When she came to the meetings again, the brothers greeted her so kindly that she started to cry. Our sister is now back in the race.

14, 15. What must we do when we have wrong desires? Give an example.

¹⁴ Many have stumbled because of the desires of the flesh. If we are tempted by our desires, we need to do everything we can to keep our thinking and actions clean according to God’s standards. Jesus said that if our eye or our hand is making us stumble, we should “throw it away.” We should get rid of immoral thoughts and actions that could cause us to stop running in the race.​—Read Matthew 5:29, 30.

¹⁵ One brother who was raised in the truth said that for as long as he could remember, he had homosexual desires. He said that he always felt different and uncomfortable around other people. By the time he was 20, he had become a regular pioneer and was a ministerial servant in the congregation. Then he made a serious mistake and was disciplined, and the elders helped him. He prayed, studied the Bible, and made an effort to help other people. All of this helped him to continue running the race. This happened a long time ago, but he says: “At times I still have those feelings, but I don’t let them overtake me. I have learned that Jehovah will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. So I believe that God thinks I can make it.” This brother does not want anything to take him out of the race. He knows that life in the new world is worth whatever he has to endure now. He says: “Until then, I will continue to fight.”

16, 17. (a) What helped one brother who thought that he had been treated unfairly? (b) What should we remember about the congregation so that we do not stumble?

¹⁶ We could let ourselves be stumbled by injustice by others in the congregation. In France, a brother who used to be an elder thought that he had been treated unfairly. He was bitter and had stopped attending meetings and going in the ministry. Two elders visited him and kindly listened as he explained what he believed had happened. They encouraged him to trust in Jehovah and reminded him that the most important thing is to do what pleases God. He listened to their counsel and was soon back in the race.

¹⁷ We all need to remember that Jesus Christ is the one whom God appointed as the Head of the congregation. We should not worry about what imperfect humans do. Jesus has eyes “as a fiery flame.” He understands everything that happens in the congregation much better than we ever could. (Revelation 1:13-16) For example, we may think that there has been an injustice in the congregation. But really we might have simply misunderstood what happened or why it happened. Jesus corrects problems in the congregation in the right way and at the right time. So we should never let what another Christian does cause us to stumble out of the race.

18. How can we remain faithful during tribulation or persecution?

¹⁸ Two more stumbling blocks are tribulation or persecution and the imperfections of others in the congregation. In his story about the man who sowed seed, Jesus showed that some would stumble because they experience “tribulation or persecution” for being one of God’s people. Our family, our neighbors, or the government can cause tribulation or can persecute us because of the truth. A person may be especially in danger of stumbling if he “has no root in himself,” that is, if his faith is weak. (Matthew 13:21) But if we are determined to stay close to Jehovah, the Kingdom message will help us to have strong roots. So when you go through difficult times, meditate on “praiseworthy” things. (Read Philippians 4:6-9.) Jehovah will give us the strength to stay faithful during trials so that we do not stumble out of the race.

19. How can we avoid being stumbled when someone offends us?

¹⁹ Some have stopped serving Jehovah because of the imperfections of other people. Or a person might stumble because others do things that his conscience would not allow him to do. (1 Corinthians 8:12, 13) If someone offends us, will we get so upset that we leave the truth? The Bible tells us to stop judging and to forgive others, even when we think that we have a right to be offended. (Luke 6:37) When you feel offended, ask yourself: ‘Am I judging others based only on the way I prefer to do things? Will I leave the truth just because my brothers are imperfect?’ Our love for Jehovah can help us not to allow what others do to keep us from finishing the race for life.

RUN WITH ENDURANCE AND AVOID STUMBLING

20, 21. What will you do in the race for everlasting life?

²⁰ Do you want to “run the course to the finish”? (2 Timothy 4:7, 8) Then study the Bible and our publications, do research, and meditate so that you can know what kinds of things might stumble you. Beg Jehovah for holy spirit to make you strong. Remember, if we stumble or fall, we can still get back in the race and run to the finish. We might be able to learn from our mistakes so that we can run the race even better.

²¹ The Bible shows that we have to run the race all the way to the finish if we want the prize of everlasting life. As we run, Jehovah will give us “abundant peace.” (Psalm 119:165) He will continue to help us now and will give us everlasting blessings if we finish the race.​—James 1:12.

1, 2. Why might some want to learn about figs?

DO YOU like eating figs? In Bible times, the Israelites enjoyed eating them. (Nahum 3:12; Luke 13:6-9) Today, figs are grown in many places around the world. Figs are nutritious, and some people even say that they are good for our heart.

² Jehovah once compared people to figs. He was not telling people how figs could help their health. He was talking about what was in their heart. What he said can also help us and our loved ones. As we discuss what he said, think about what we as Christians should learn.

3. What did the figs that were described in Jeremiah chapter 24 mean?

³ In the year 617 before Christ, the people of Judah were doing things that Jehovah hated. He gave Jeremiah a vision of what would happen to Judah. He described two baskets of figs, which meant two groups of people. The figs in one basket were “very good,” and the figs in the other basket were “very bad.” (Read Jeremiah 24:1-3.) The bad figs meant King Zedekiah and those like him who would soon be attacked by King Nebuchadnezzar and his troops. But there were people who were like the good figs. Some of them were Ezekiel, Daniel and his three friends, and others who were eventually taken as prisoners to Babylon. Some of those Jews would later go back to Jerusalem and rebuild its temple.​—Jeremiah 24:8-10; 25:11, 12; 29:10.

4. Why is what God said about the good people in Judah encouraging to us?

⁴ Jehovah said about those good people: “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah; and they must become my people.” (Jeremiah 24:7) This is encouraging to us because it means that God wants us to have “a heart to know” him, that is, to be the kind of person who wants to know him and who wants to be part of his people. How do we become that kind of person? We study the Bible and apply what we learn. Then we repent and stop our sinful way of life. In time, we dedicate our life to God and get baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and holy spirit. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 3:19) Have you already taken those steps? Or are you now regularly attending meetings with Jehovah’s Witnesses and in the process of taking those steps?

5. Jeremiah was written mainly about whom?

⁵ Even if we have already taken all those steps, we must continue to have the right attitude and to be careful how we act. Why? We will learn the answer as we discuss what Jeremiah wrote about the heart. Some of the book of Jeremiah was about the nations around Judah. But mostly it was about the nation of Judah during the rule of five of its kings. (Jeremiah 1:15, 16) Jeremiah wrote about people who were already dedicated to Jehovah. In Moses’ day, the people agreed to belong to Jehovah. (Exodus 19:3-8) In Jeremiah’s day too, the people said: “We have come to you, for you, O Jehovah, are our God.” (Jeremiah 3:22) But did they have a good heart?

THEY NEEDED “HEART SURGERY”

6. Why should we be interested in what God said about the heart?

⁶ Doctors can use machines to look inside our body to see if our heart is healthy. But Jehovah can also see our figurative heart, or the person we are inside. He says: “The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it? I, Jehovah, am searching the heart, . . . to give to each one according to his ways, according to the fruitage of his dealings.” (Jeremiah 17:9, 10) God can see what we want, how we think, how we feel, what our attitude is, and what we hope to do with our life. God will examine your heart. But you too can make an effort to examine what is in your own heart.

7. How did Jeremiah describe the heart of most Jews in his day?

⁷ We should examine our figurative heart. What did Jehovah think of the figurative heart of the Jews in Jeremiah’s day? Notice Jeremiah’s answer: “All the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.” He was not talking about the kind of circumcision that the Law required for Jewish males. How do we know that? Even though the Jewish men were circumcised, Jehovah said that they were “still in uncircumcision,” that is, “uncircumcised in heart.” (Jeremiah 9:25, 26) So, what did this mean?

8, 9. What did most Jews in Jeremiah’s day need to do?

⁸ God told the Jews what they needed to do, and this helps us to understand the expression “uncircumcised in heart.” He told them to take the badness out of their heart. Why? He explained: “That my rage may not go forth . . . on account of the badness of your dealings.” They were disobeying Jehovah because their heart was bad. (Read Mark 7:20-23.) They were rebellious, and they refused to change. Their heart, which included their motives and their thinking, was bad in Jehovah’s eyes. (Read Jeremiah 5:23, 24; 7:24-26.) God told them how to change this by saying: “Get yourselves circumcised to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your hearts.”​—Jeremiah 4:4; 18:11, 12.

⁹ It was as if the Jews in Jeremiah’s day needed surgery on their heart. The Israelites in Moses’ day had the same problem. (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6) How could the Jews “take away the foreskins” of their hearts? They had to get rid of any thoughts, desires, or motives that made them ignore Jehovah’s commandments.​—Acts 7:51.

HOW CAN WE HAVE “A HEART TO KNOW” HIM?

10. How can we imitate David’s example?

¹⁰ We should be thankful that God helps us to understand the figurative heart. But since we are already servants of Jehovah, do we really need to be worried about our heart? Most in the congregations are serving Jehovah faithfully and have clean conduct. They are not becoming “bad figs.” But remember that even righteous David said to Jehovah: “Search through me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my disquieting thoughts, and see whether there is in me any painful way.”​—Psalm 17:3; 139:23, 24.

11, 12. (a) Why should we examine our own heart? (b) What should we not expect Jehovah to do?

¹¹ Jehovah wants each of us to know him, that is, to become acceptable to him and to stay that way. Jeremiah said that Jehovah examines the righteous ones and that He sees “the kidneys and the heart.” (Jeremiah 20:12) Because Jehovah examines the heart of even righteous people, all of us need to check what is really in our heart. (Read Psalm 11:5.) When we do that, we might find that deep in our heart we have a wrong attitude, feeling, or goal that makes our heart less sensitive. Maybe we are slow to obey Jehovah. We may need spiritual heart surgery to take away that badness from our heart. What are some examples of wrong attitudes or feelings that might be in our heart? How can we make changes?​—Jeremiah 4:4.

¹² Jehovah will not force us to change. He said about “the good figs” that he would “give them a heart to know” him. But he would not force them to change their heart. They had to want to know God, and we need to do the same.

13, 14. How can what is in a person’s heart be dangerous to him?

¹³ Jesus said that what is in a person’s heart can make him have “wicked reasonings,” commit murder or adultery, or do other immoral things. (Matthew 15:19) For example, if a person has wrong desires in his heart, he might commit adultery or fornication. If he never repents, he will lose God’s favor permanently. But even if he does not commit a serious sin, he might still let wrong desires get stronger in his heart. (Read Matthew 5:27, 28.) It is important to make sure that we do not have such wrong desires in our heart. Do you secretly think about someone of the opposite sex in a way that Jehovah would not approve? Do you need to change what is in your heart?

¹⁴ Similarly, a Christian might let his anger grow toward another brother until he begins to hate him in his heart. (Leviticus 19:17) He needs to work hard to get rid of those feelings.​—Matthew 5:21, 22.

15, 16. (a) How might a Christian be “uncircumcised in heart”? (b) Why do you think that Jehovah does not want us to be “uncircumcised in heart”?

¹⁵ Most Christians do not allow themselves to have these kinds of desires and feelings in their heart. But Jesus also spoke of “wicked reasonings.” For example, we might think that our loyalty to our family is more important than anything else. Of course, Christians want to love their relatives, instead of being like those in the world today who have “no natural affection.” (2 Timothy 3:1, 3) But we could go to extremes in how we show loyalty to our family. Many feel that “blood is thicker than water.” If someone offends one of their family members, they feel offended too. Dinah’s brothers got very angry because she was treated badly. As a result, they murdered many men. (Genesis 34:13, 25-30) And the bad feelings in Absalom’s heart made him murder Amnon. (2 Samuel 13:1-30) Yes, “wicked reasonings” can be very dangerous.

¹⁶ True Christians do not murder. But some might get very angry when their family member has been treated badly. Or maybe they just think that a family member has been treated badly. So how do they treat the one who they think caused the offense? They might refuse to spend time with him or to invite him to their home. (Hebrews 13:1, 2) But a Christian who shows love for his brothers would not act that way. Jehovah knows what is in our heart. If he sees these bad feelings in our heart, he would say that we are “uncircumcised in heart.” (Jeremiah 9:25, 26) But Jehovah says: “Take away the foreskins of your hearts.”​—Jeremiah 4:4.

HAVE “A HEART TO KNOW” GOD AND KEEP IT

17. If we fear Jehovah, why will it be easier to make changes in our heart?

¹⁷ When you examine your figurative heart, you may find that you are not as quick to obey Jehovah’s instructions as you should be. You might in some way be “uncircumcised in heart.” Maybe you fear what other people think of you. Or you might want to be famous or have a lot of money. You might sometimes be stubborn or insist on doing whatever you want to do. Others have felt that way. (Jeremiah 7:24; 11:8) Jeremiah wrote that unfaithful Jews in his day had “a stubborn and rebellious heart.” They did not “fear Jehovah,” even though he loved them and provided everything they needed. (Jeremiah 5:23, 24) If we fear Jehovah, that is, if we respect him, we will take the badness out of our heart. It will be easier for us to make changes in our heart and to do whatever Jehovah asks of us.

18. What did Jehovah promise about those who are in the new covenant?

¹⁸ As we keep making this effort, Jehovah will give us “a heart to know” him. He promised to do that for the anointed, who are in the new covenant. He said: “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I shall write it. And I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people.” He continued: “They will no more teach each one his companion and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Jehovah!’ for they will all of them know me, from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them . . . For I shall forgive their error, and their sin I shall remember no more.”​—Jeremiah 31:31-34.a (See footnote.)

19. What can we look forward to?

¹⁹ We look forward to what God has promised. All of us should want to know Jehovah and to be part of his people. But we can know Jehovah forever only if our sins are forgiven on the basis of Christ’s ransom. Because we can be forgiven, we should want to forgive others, even if it might seem difficult to do so. We should work hard to get rid of any anger or hatred we have for others. This will help us to show that we want to serve Jehovah and are coming to know him better. We will be like the ones to whom Jehovah said: “You will actually seek me and find me, for you will search for me with all your heart. And I will let myself be found by you.”​—Jeremiah 29:13, 14.

1. Why does a pilot use a list when he is checking a plane?

EACH time a pilot gets ready to fly a plane, he checks the plane carefully. He uses a list to make sure that he has checked everything. If he does not check the plane, he might not notice a problem that could cause a crash. Even pilots who have flown planes for many years need to check all the items on the list.

2. What do we need to check?

² Like the list the pilot uses, there is a list of things you can check to make sure that your faith will stay strong even during difficult times. Whether we just got baptized or we have been in the truth for many years, we need to keep checking our faith. If we simply think that our faith is strong enough, a difficult trial in life could make us lose our relationship with Jehovah. The Bible warns us: “Let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall.”​—1 Corinthians 10:12.

3. What did the Christians in Galatia need to do?

³ The ransom of Jesus made it possible for Christians to know God in a new way. Humans could now be chosen as sons of God! But the Christians in Galatia needed to keep checking their faith. (Galatians 4:9) There were some in the congregation who were saying that Christians could be righteous only if they continued to follow the Law of Moses. But God was no longer using that Law, and the Gentiles in the congregations had never even been under the Law! Both Jews and Gentiles in the congregation needed to make progress in the truth. They needed to understand that God no longer required people to follow the Law.

THE STEPS WE TOOK TO KNOW GOD

4, 5. What counsel did Paul give to the Galatians? Why is his letter important for us?

⁴ The letter that Jehovah had the apostle Paul write to the Galatians reminds all Christians not to leave the Bible truth they have learned. We must never return to what we left behind. The letter to the Galatians can help all of us to remain faithful.

⁵ We all need to remember when we decided to serve Jehovah. Think about these two questions: Do you remember the steps you took that helped you to prepare for baptism? Do you remember how you came to know God and how you felt when you came to be known by him?

6. What list will we learn about?

⁶ There are nine steps that we take when we come into the truth. (See the box “The Steps That We Take to Know God Can Help Us to Keep Progressing.”) We can think of these steps as a list of things that we can check to keep our faith strong and to keep us from returning to the things of the world. Just as a pilot always checks his list before he flies a plane, we should keep reviewing our list.

THOSE KNOWN BY GOD CONTINUE TO GET STRONGER IN THE TRUTH

7. What “pattern” do we need to follow? Why should we check how closely we are following it?

⁷ Just as a pilot checks a list of things each time he flies a plane, we too can keep checking our progress in the truth. Paul wrote to Timothy: “Keep holding the pattern of healthful words that you heard from me with the faith and love that are in connection with Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13) The “healthful words” he was talking about are found in God’s Word. (1 Timothy 6:3) A simple drawing can give us an idea of what something looks like. Similarly, “the pattern of healthful words” helps us to understand in a general way what Jehovah requires of us. We will now discuss the steps that we took before our baptism and check to see how closely we are following the pattern of truth.

8, 9. (a) Why should we keep growing in knowledge and faith? (b) Why is our progress as a Christian important? Why is it like the growth of a tree?

⁸ Our first step was to take in knowledge, which led to our having faith. But we need to keep taking in knowledge and keep making our faith stronger. (2 Thessalonians 1:3) After our baptism, our relationship with God needs to keep growing and getting stronger.

⁹ This is similar to the way a tree grows. It is amazing to see how tall a tree can grow, especially when its roots are strong. For example, some of the beautiful cedars of Lebanon can be as tall as a building that has 12 floors. They can be so big that a rope 12 meters (40 feet) long would stretch around just one of them. (Song of Solomon 5:15) A tree grows very quickly at first. As the roots grow deeper and reach farther away from the tree, the trunk grows wider and taller. Later, it is not so easy to see the tree grow. It is similar with our progress as Christians. We may make many changes when we first start studying the Bible. Then we get baptized. Others in the congregation notice how we are progressing in the truth. We might start to pioneer or get other assignments in the congregation. As time goes on, it may not be so easy for others to see the progress we are making in the truth. But we all need to keep growing in knowledge and faith until we are like “a full-grown man,” that is, until we are what a mature Christian should be. (Ephesians 4:13) So when we make progress as a Christian, we are like a tiny seedling that grows into a strong tree.

10. Why do mature Christians need to keep making progress in the truth?

¹⁰ But our progress should not stop there. Our knowledge of God’s Word and our faith are like roots that keep us strong and unmovable. Those roots need to keep getting stronger. (Proverbs 12:3) There are many brothers and sisters who continue to make this kind of progress. One brother who has been an elder for more than 30 years said that he is still making progress. He says that he appreciates the Bible now more than ever. He keeps learning new ways that the Bible can help a person to make decisions, and he enjoys being in the ministry more and more.

STRENGTHEN YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

11. How can we continue to strengthen our friendship with Jehovah?

¹¹ If we want to keep progressing as a Christian, we must keep getting closer to Jehovah. He wants us to feel safe and loved, just as a child feels when he is with a loving parent or as we feel when we are with our best friend. Of course, it will take time and effort to become close enough to Jehovah to feel that safe and loved. So make sure that you take time every day to read the Bible. And read each new magazine, book, and brochure that Jehovah gives us. This will help you to know him better as a Person and to strengthen your friendship with him.

12. What do we need to do if we want to keep our friendship with God strong?

¹² Our prayers and good association can also help us to strengthen our friendship with God. (Read Malachi 3:16.) When God’s friends pray to him, he listens to “their supplication.” (1 Peter 3:12) Jehovah listens when we cry out to him in prayer, so we should keep praying. (Romans 12:12) We cannot continue to be a friend of God without his help. If we stop praying to him, we cannot get the strength we need. We could become discouraged by this wicked system or be tempted to do something wrong. But he is willing to give us all the help we need if we ask for it. Do you pray to Jehovah the way you would talk to a trusted friend? Are there ways that you could improve your prayers?​—Jeremiah 16:19.

13. Why do we need to go to the meetings regularly if we want to keep our friendship with God strong?

¹³ We need to stay close to the congregation so that we can be with others who are friends of Jehovah. He loves them because they keep “seeking refuge in him.” (Nahum 1:7) Because the world is so bad, we need to spend time with our brothers and sisters. We can help one another to stay strong, and this will motivate us to show love for others and to do “fine works.” (Hebrews 10:24, 25) It would not be possible to follow Paul’s counsel unless we spent time with the congregation. So make sure that you go to the meetings regularly. And be a part of the meeting by giving comments.

14. Why do we always have to be ready to repent and make changes in our lives?

¹⁴ We had to repent and stop our sinful way of life when we first became a Christian. But we always have to be ready to repent and make changes in our lives. Since we are imperfect and have weaknesses, it can be very easy for us to sin. Sin is like a snake that is ready to bite us whenever it can. (Romans 3:9, 10; 6:12-14) So we cannot pretend that we do not have weaknesses. Jehovah is patient with us while we fight our weaknesses. (Philippians 2:12; 2 Peter 3:9) Use your time and energy in Jehovah’s service rather than for selfish reasons. One sister who was raised in the truth thought that she needed to be very afraid of Jehovah and felt that she would never be able to please him. She did not feel close to him and made mistakes in her life. She said, “It was not because I didn’t love Jehovah but because I didn’t truly know him.” So she prayed for God’s help and started to make some changes. She said, “I found that Jehovah led me along like a child, helping me over one obstacle at a time, ever so gently, showing me what I needed to do.”

15. What do Jesus and Jehovah notice and appreciate?

¹⁵ God’s angel told Peter and the other apostles to “keep on speaking” about the good news. (Acts 5:19-21) Our ministry each week is one of the things that we should check in order to keep our faith strong. Jesus and Jehovah notice how much faith we have and appreciate what we do in the ministry. (Revelation 2:19) The ministry should be a big part of our life.

16. Why should we think often about our dedication?

¹⁶ Think often about your dedication. Our relationship with Jehovah is the most important thing we have. He knows all who belong to him. (Read Isaiah 44:5.) Check your relationship with Jehovah, and pray for his help to keep it strong. Think, too, about your baptism, and do not forget that important date. Your baptism showed others that you dedicated yourself to Jehovah. This is the most important decision that you will ever make.

WE NEED ENDURANCE TO STAY CLOSE TO JEHOVAH

17. Why do we need to endure if we want to stay close to Jehovah?

¹⁷ Paul told the Galatians that they should not give up. (Galatians 6:9) We too need to endure, because we will have problems. But Jehovah will help us. Keep praying for God’s holy spirit, and he will help you to have joy and peace, even if the problems do not go away. (Matthew 7:7-11) Think about this: Jehovah takes care of the birds, yet he loves you so much more than he loves the birds. He wants to take care of you because you love him and dedicated yourself to him. (Matthew 10:29-31) Even when you have difficult problems, never give up. Never leave the truth for the things you have left behind. We have many blessings because we are now known by Jehovah.

18. What should all who know God do now?

¹⁸ Whether you were baptized recently or were baptized many years ago, what should you do now? Keep getting to know Jehovah better, and keep progressing in the truth. You should be careful not to think that you know God well enough and that you do not need to improve your relationship with him. From time to time, review the things we discussed in this article so that you can stay very close to Jehovah, our loving Father, Friend, and God.​—Read 2 Corinthians 13:5, 6.

1, 2. How have God’s servants felt about this world? What home do they have?

DO YOU feel safe and comfortable in this wicked world, as if you were at home? If not, you feel the same way other servants of Jehovah have felt. Since ancient times, all who have truly loved Jehovah have felt like strangers in this world. For example, faithful worshippers of God who moved from place to place in the land of Canaan felt that way. The Bible says that they “publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land.”​—Hebrews 11:13.

² Christ’s anointed followers have their “citizenship” in the heavens. They too feel like “aliens and temporary residents” in this world. (Philippians 3:20; 1 Peter 2:11) Christ’s “other sheep” are also “no part of the world,” just as Jesus was “no part of the world.” (John 10:16; 17:16) However, God’s people do have a home. It is not a home we can see with our eyes, but it is the safest and most loving home we could ever have. What is this home? Moses wrote: “O Jehovah, you yourself have proved to be a real dwelling for us during generation after generation.”a (See footnote.) (Psalm 90:1) Jehovah is “a real dwelling,” or a home, for his loyal servants. Do you know how Jehovah was a home for his servants in the past? How is he a home for his people today? And how will he be the only secure home for his servants in the future?

JEHOVAH WAS “A REAL DWELLING” FOR HIS SERVANTS IN THE PAST

3. To what is Jehovah compared at Psalm 90:1, and why?

³ The Bible sometimes compares Jehovah to things we can see so that we can better understand his personality. For example, Psalm 90:1 compares Jehovah to a “dwelling,” or a home. When we think of a home, we think of a place where there is love, peace, and protection. Why is Jehovah compared to a home? The Bible says that Jehovah is love. (1 John 4:8) It also says that he is the God of peace and that he protects his servants. (Psalm 4:8) As an example, let us consider how Jehovah was like a home for his faithful servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

4, 5. How did God bless and protect Abraham?

⁴ Abraham may have wondered why Jehovah told him: “Go your way out of your country and from your relatives and from the house of your father to the country that I shall show you.” But Jehovah’s next words must have given him much comfort: “I shall make a great nation out of you and I shall bless you and I will make your name great.” Jehovah added: “I will bless those who bless you, and him that calls down evil upon you I shall curse.”​—Genesis 12:1-3.

⁵ Jehovah promised that he would bless and protect Abraham and his descendants, and that is exactly what he did. (Genesis 26:1-6) For example, he stopped Pharaoh of Egypt and King Abimelech of Gerar from killing Abraham and taking his wife, Sarah. He protected Isaac and Rebekah in a similar way. (Genesis 12:14-20; 20:1-14; 26:6-11) The Bible says that Jehovah “did not allow any human to defraud them, but on their account he reproved kings, saying: ‘Do not you men touch my anointed ones, and to my prophets do nothing bad.’”​—Psalm 105:14, 15.

6. What did Isaac tell Jacob to do? How may Jacob have felt?

⁶ Jehovah also took good care of Abraham’s grandson Jacob. When it was time for Jacob to marry, his father, Isaac, told him: “You must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Get up, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel the father of your mother and from there take yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban.” (Genesis 28:1, 2) Jacob did exactly what his father told him. He left his family in Canaan and traveled hundreds of kilometers to the area of Haran, probably alone. (Genesis 28:10) He may have thought: ‘How long will I be away? Will my uncle be happy to see me? Will I find a wife who loves Jehovah?’ But something happened in Luz, 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Beer-sheba, that helped Jacob to stop worrying. What was it?

7. What comfort did God give Jacob?

⁷ At Luz, Jehovah appeared to Jacob in a dream and said: “Here I am with you and I will keep you in all the way you are going and I will return you to this ground, because I am not going to leave you until I have actually done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:15) Those kind words must have given Jacob so much comfort! After that, Jacob must have been eager to see how Jehovah’s promise would come true. If you have left home, perhaps to serve in another country, you may have worried as Jacob did. But you have certainly felt how Jehovah has cared for you in many ways.

8, 9. How was Jehovah “a real dwelling” for Jacob? What does the example of Jacob teach us about Jehovah?

⁸ When Jacob arrived in Haran, his uncle Laban warmly welcomed him and later gave him Leah and Rachel as wives. After some time, though, Laban started to be unfair to Jacob and changed his wages ten times! (Genesis 31:41, 42) But Jacob endured all of this because he trusted that Jehovah would care for him. As a result, Jehovah blessed Jacob. By the time God told him to return to Canaan, Jacob owned “great flocks and maidservants and menservants and camels and asses.” (Genesis 30:43) Jacob was deeply grateful to Jehovah and prayed: “I am unworthy of all the loving-kindnesses and of all the faithfulness that you have exercised toward your servant, for with but my staff I crossed this Jordan and now I have become two camps.”​—Genesis 32:10.

⁹ These examples show how true Moses’ words were: “O Jehovah, you yourself have proved to be a real dwelling for us during generation after generation”! (Psalm 90:1) Jehovah has not changed. He still loves, protects, and cares for his loyal servants. (James 1:17) Let us consider how.

JEHOVAH IS OUR “REAL DWELLING” TODAY

10. Why can we be sure that Jehovah continues to be “a real dwelling” for his servants?

¹⁰ Imagine this situation: You are in court serving as a witness against a very intelligent and powerful man. He is a cruel liar and a murderer, and he has people all over the world working for him. How would you feel when you left the courtroom at the end of the day? Would you feel safe? Not at all! You would have good reason to ask for protection. In a similar way, as Jehovah’s servants we are witnesses against Jehovah’s evil enemy, Satan. (Read Revelation 12:17.) Satan has tried to stop God’s people. But has he been able to do that? No! In fact, we continue to preach to more and more people all over the world. How is this possible? There can only be one explanation: Jehovah is “a real dwelling” for us. He is protecting and blessing his people more than ever during these last days. (Read Isaiah 54:14, 17.) But Jehovah can continue to be “a real dwelling” for us only if we do not allow Satan to deceive us.

11. What other lesson can we learn from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

¹¹ Let us learn another lesson from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Although they lived in the land of Canaan, they stayed separate from the people of the land and hated the bad things those people did. (Genesis 27:46) They did not need a long list of rules to know what was right or what was wrong. They knew what Jehovah loves and what he hates. So they did all they could not to become part of the world. What a fine example they are for us! Do you try hard to imitate those loyal servants of Jehovah? Do you show that you do not want to be part of the world by carefully choosing your friends and entertainment? Sadly, some in the Christian congregation, at least in some ways, feel at home in Satan’s world. If you feel that way even a little, pray for Jehovah’s help. Remember, this world belongs to Satan, and he is selfish and does not care about us.​—2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1, 2.

12. (a) How does Jehovah help his servants? (b) How do you feel about the help Jehovah gives us?

¹² If we do not want Satan to deceive us, we must benefit from all the help Jehovah gives his servants. For example, he gives us help through Christian meetings, family worship, and elders who give us comfort and support so that we can endure problems in life. (Ephesians 4:8-12) Brother George Gangas, who was a member of the Governing Body for many years, wrote about how he felt among God’s people: “When I am among them I feel at home with my family.” Do you feel the same way?

13. What important lesson can we learn from Hebrews 11:13?

¹³ Another important lesson we learn from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is that we should not be afraid of being different from the people around us. As we read in paragraph 1, those faithful men “publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land.” (Hebrews 11:13) Do you show that you are different from people in the world? This can sometimes be difficult. But you can do this with help from God and from your brothers and sisters. Remember, you are not alone. All who want to serve Jehovah have a fight against Satan and this world! (Ephesians 6:12) But we can win this fight if we trust in Jehovah and make him our secure dwelling.

14. What “city” did Abraham wait for?

¹⁴ We should imitate Abraham and keep the reward in mind. (2 Corinthians 4:18) The apostle Paul wrote that Abraham “was awaiting the city having real foundations, the builder and maker of which city is God.” (Hebrews 11:10) That “city” is God’s Kingdom. Abraham had to wait for that “city” to come. In a way, we do not. The Kingdom is now ruling in heaven. And Bible prophecy clearly shows that soon it will rule the whole earth. Does the way you live your life show that you really believe in that Kingdom? Do you put the Kingdom first in your life and stay separate from this world?​—Read 2 Peter 3:11, 12.

JEHOVAH WILL CONTINUE TO BE OUR “REAL DWELLING”

15. What will be the future of those who trust in this world?

¹⁵ Problems in this world will continue to get worse before the end. (Matthew 24:7, 8) And during the great tribulation, life will definitely become even harder. All over the world, there will be destruction and confusion, and people will be terrified. (Habakkuk 3:16, 17) The Bible says that they will be so desperate that they will look for protection “in the caves and in the rock-masses of the mountains.” (Revelation 6:15-17) But no cave will protect them, nor will any big business or political organization.

16. How should we view the congregation? Why?

¹⁶ Jehovah will keep us safe during the great tribulation. Like the prophet Habakkuk, we will be joyful in the God of salvation. (Habakkuk 3:18) In what ways will Jehovah protect us during that difficult time? We will have to wait and see. But we can be sure that Jehovah’s people will stay organized and receive instructions from him, like the Israelites who left Egypt during the Exodus. (Read Exodus 13:18; Revelation 7:9) How will Jehovah give us these instructions? Jehovah will probably use the congregation to tell us what to do. Isaiah 26:20 mentions “interior rooms” that will give protection to God’s people. These may refer to the congregations around the world. (Read Isaiah 26:20.) Do you value the congregation meetings? Do you always do what Jehovah tells you through the congregation?​—Hebrews 13:17.

17. How is Jehovah “a real dwelling” even for his loyal servants who have died?

¹⁷ Jehovah is “a real dwelling” even for faithful ones who might die before the great tribulation. How? He will resurrect them. A long time after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, Jehovah told Moses that he was still their God. (Exodus 3:6) Jesus repeated those words and added: “He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living, for they are all living to him.” (Luke 20:38) The resurrection of loyal servants of Jehovah is so sure to happen that to Jehovah, it is as if they are already alive.​—Ecclesiastes 7:1.

18. How will Jehovah become “a real dwelling” for his people in the new world?

¹⁸ In the new world, Jehovah will become “a real dwelling” for his people in a special way. Revelation 21:3 says: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them.” Jehovah will use Jesus Christ to rule over the earth for the first thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, Jesus will have completed his Father’s purpose for the earth, and he will give the Kingdom back to Jehovah. (1 Corinthians 15:28) Then Jehovah will rule perfect humans directly. What a wonderful future we have ahead of us! Let us imitate faithful servants of the past by making Jehovah our “real dwelling” now.

1, 2. In contrast with the churches of Christendom, how do Jehovah’s Witnesses feel about God’s name?

THE churches of Christendom have generally avoided using God’s name. For example, the introduction of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible says that it is “entirely inappropriate” for the church to call God by any name.

² In contrast, Jehovah’s Witnesses are proud to be called by God’s name and to honor it. (Read Psalm 86:12; Isaiah 43:10.) Also, we feel honored to understand the meaning of God’s name and to know how important it is for his name to be made holy. (Matthew 6:9) To help us never forget what an honor it is to know Jehovah, let us consider three important questions: What does it mean to know God’s name? How has Jehovah shown that he is worthy of his great name? And how can we “walk in the name of Jehovah”?

WHAT IT MEANS TO KNOW GOD’S NAME

3. What does it mean to know God’s name?

³ To know God’s name means much more than just knowing the word “Jehovah.” It means knowing what kind of God Jehovah is. This includes his reputation, his qualities, his purpose, and the way he acts, especially the way he treats his people. As Jehovah has fulfilled his purpose, he has little by little revealed what kind of God he is. (Proverbs 4:18) We know that God told Adam and Eve his name, because Eve used it after she gave birth to Cain. (Genesis 4:1) Jehovah’s faithful servants Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob also knew God’s name. They learned more about the kind of God he is as he blessed them, cared for them, and revealed his purpose to them. Much later, God revealed to Moses something special about the meaning of his name.

4. Why did Moses ask God about his name? Why did he want to convince the Israelites that God would save them?

⁴ Read Exodus 3:10-15. When Moses was 80 years old, God commanded him: “Bring my people the sons of Israel out of Egypt.” Moses then asked Jehovah a very meaningful question: ‘If the Israelites ask me what your name is, what should I tell them?’ God’s people had known his name for a long time, so why did Moses ask this question? He wanted to know more about the kind of God Jehovah is. Moses wanted to convince the Israelites that God really would save them. And we can understand why. The Israelites had been slaves for a long time and probably doubted that Jehovah could help them. Some Israelites had even been worshipping Egyptian gods!​—Ezekiel 20:7, 8.

5. What did Jehovah reveal about his name to Moses?

⁵ What was Jehovah’s answer to Moses? He said that Moses should tell the Israelites: “Jehovah the God of your forefathers . . . has sent me to you.” He also told Moses to say: “I SHALL PROVE TO BE has sent me to you.”a (See footnote.) With these words, God revealed something important about himself. He will become whatever he needs to become, or he will do whatever needs to be done, to make his promises come true. And he is a God who always does what he promises. That is why Jehovah added: “This is my name to time indefinite, and this is the memorial of me to generation after generation.” These words must have deeply impressed Moses and strengthened his faith!

JEHOVAH SHOWED THAT HE IS WORTHY OF HIS NAME

6, 7. How did Jehovah do what he had promised?

⁶ Not long after Jehovah spoke to Moses, Jehovah did what he had promised and freed Israel. He punished Egypt with ten plagues and showed that Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods were powerless. (Exodus 12:12) Then Jehovah opened up the Red Sea, led the Israelites through it, and drowned Pharaoh and his army. (Psalm 136:13-15) In the wilderness, Jehovah kept those millions of Israelites alive by giving them food and water. Even their clothes and sandals did not wear out. (Deuteronomy 1:19; 29:5) All of this proves that nothing can stop Jehovah from doing what he promises to do. He later said to Isaiah: “I​—I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior.”​—Isaiah 43:11.

⁷ Joshua, the next leader of the Israelites, also saw the powerful works that Jehovah had done in Egypt and in the wilderness. So at the end of his life, Joshua could tell the Israelites: “You well know with all your hearts and with all your souls that not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you. Not one word of them has failed.” (Joshua 23:14) Jehovah did exactly what he had promised to do.

8. Today, how is Jehovah doing what he has promised?

⁸ Today, Jehovah is also doing what he has promised to do. He foretold through his Son that during the last days, the good news of the Kingdom would be preached “in all the inhabited earth.” (Matthew 24:14) Only Jehovah could foretell this work and have the power to make sure that it is done. And he uses ordinary people to do it! (Acts 4:13) So when we preach the good news, we are helping to fulfill Bible prophecy. We are honoring our Father and showing that we really mean it when we pray: “Let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”​—Matthew 6:9, 10.

HIS NAME IS GREAT

9, 10. What more do we learn about Jehovah from the way he treated the Israelites?

⁹ Soon after the Israelites left Egypt, Jehovah revealed more about himself to them. Jehovah made the Law covenant with them and promised to care for them the way a husband cares for his wife. (Jeremiah 3:14) And the Israelites became like a wife to Jehovah. They were a people called by his name. (Isaiah 54:5, 6) If they were obedient to his commandments, he would bless them, protect them, and give them peace. (Numbers 6:22-27) All nations would know that there is no other God like Jehovah. (Read Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Psalm 86:7-10.) When the Israelites were God’s people, many men and women from other nations chose to worship Jehovah. They did the same as the Moabitess Ruth, who said to Naomi: “Your people will be my people, and your God my God.”​—Ruth 1:16.

¹⁰ For about 1,500 years, Jehovah revealed much more about the kind of God he is by the way he treated the Israelites. Even though they disobeyed him over and over again, he showed them great mercy and patience. (Exodus 34:5-7) But Jehovah’s patience had a limit. When the Israelites as a nation refused to believe in Jesus and killed him, they could no longer be called by God’s name. (Matthew 23:37, 38) To Jehovah, they became like a dead, withered tree. (Luke 23:31) How did the Israelites later feel about God’s name?

11. Why did the Israelites stop using God’s name?

¹¹ After some time, the Jews started to have a wrong idea about God’s name. They thought that God’s name was so holy that no one should say it. (Exodus 20:7) As a result, they little by little stopped using God’s name. Jehovah must have felt hurt to see his name treated with so much disrespect. (Psalm 78:40, 41) Jehovah’s name is very important to him. In fact, the Bible says that he is jealous for his name. Because the Jews dishonored Jehovah’s name, they were no longer worthy of it. (Exodus 34:14) This teaches us that it is extremely important to treat our Creator’s name with great respect.

A NEW PEOPLE CALLED BY GOD’S NAME

12. Who became the people called by God’s name?

¹² Through Jeremiah, Jehovah promised that he was going to make “a new covenant,” or agreement, with a new nation. All members of this nation, “from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them,” would “know Jehovah.” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33, 34) When did God make this new covenant? It was at Pentecost in the year 33. With whom did Jehovah make the new covenant? In the Bible, they are called “the Israel of God,” and they include people from all nations. Jehovah refers to them as a “people who are called by my name.”​—Galatians 6:16; read Acts 15:14-17; Matthew 21:43.

13. (a) Did the first Christians use God’s name? How do we know that? (b) How do you feel about using God’s name in the preaching work?

¹³ The first Christians, who were members of this new nation, used God’s name. For example, they used his name when they quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures.b (See footnote.) When the apostle Peter spoke to a large group of Israelites and proselytes at Pentecost in the year 33, he used God’s name several times. (Acts 2:14, 20, 21, 25, 34) Because the first Christians honored Jehovah, he blessed their preaching work. Today, when we tell others his name and show it to them in their Bible, Jehovah also blesses our work. It is an honor for us to introduce people to Jehovah in this way. And for those who get to know God, this can be the beginning of a wonderful friendship with Jehovah that will grow stronger and last forever.

14, 15. How do we know that Jehovah has protected his name?

¹⁴ Later on, especially after the death of the apostles, some began to corrupt the Christian congregation with false teachings. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7) These false teachers even followed the Jewish tradition of not using God’s name. Did Jehovah allow his name to disappear? Not at all! How do we know that? We may not know exactly how God’s name was pronounced in the past, but his name has survived. For hundreds of years, God’s name has been in many Bible translations and in the writings of Bible scholars. For example, in 1757, Charles Peters wrote that the meaning of God’s name describes the kind of God Jehovah is better than any title. In a 1797 book about the worship of God, Hopton Haynes wrote that Jehovah was the name the Jews used for God, “whom alone they worshipped; as also did Christ and his Apostles.” Henry Grew (1781-1862) not only used God’s name but also understood that God’s name had been dishonored and must be sanctified. Also, both George Storrs (1796-1879) and Charles T. Russell, who worked together, used God’s name.

¹⁵ The year 1931 was very important for God’s people. Until then, they had been called the International Bible Students. But in that year, they accepted the name Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Isaiah 43:10-12) They let the world know that they were proud to be “a people for his name” and to praise God’s name. (Acts 15:14) When we think of how Jehovah has protected his name, it reminds us of his words recorded at Malachi 1:11: “From the sun’s rising even to its setting my name will be great among the nations.”

WALK IN JEHOVAH’S NAME

16. How should we feel about being called Jehovah’s Witnesses?

¹⁶ The prophet Micah wrote: “All the peoples, for their part, will walk each one in the name of its god; but we, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.” (Micah 4:5) For God’s people at that time, to be called by his name was more than just a great honor. It also made them confident that they had God’s approval. (Read Malachi 3:16-18.) Is that how you feel? Are you working hard to “walk in the name of Jehovah”?

17. What does it mean to “walk in the name of Jehovah”?

¹⁷ To “walk in the name of Jehovah,” we must do at least three things. First, we must tell others about that name, because only the one who “calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) Second, we must have the qualities that Jehovah has, especially love. Third, we must willingly obey God’s laws and, in that way, honor our Father’s name. (1 John 4:8; 5:3) Will you continue to “walk in the name of Jehovah our God” forever?

18. Why do all those who honor Jehovah’s name look forward to the future?

¹⁸ All those who ignore Jehovah or rebel against him will soon have to know who he is. (Ezekiel 38:23) They are like Pharaoh, who said: “Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice?” Pharaoh was forced to see what a great God Jehovah is. (Exodus 5:1, 2; 9:16; 12:29) But we have chosen to know Jehovah and to be his friends. We are proud to be his obedient people and to be called by his name. We look forward to the future because we trust the promise at Psalm 9:10: “Those knowing your name will trust in you, for you will certainly not leave those looking for you, O Jehovah.”