1. Of what are we convinced?

 AS JEHOVAH’S people, we know that he loves us and that he wants us to enjoy the best life possible. (Rom. 8:35-39) We are also convinced that Bible principles always benefit us when we apply them. (Isa. 48:17, 18) What, though, if we face challenges that we did not expect?

2. What problems may we face, and what can such problems cause us to wonder?

² All of Jehovah’s servants deal with problems. For example, a family member might disappoint us in some way. We may have serious health issues that limit what we can do in Jehovah’s service. We might experience the devastating effects of a natural disaster. Or we may be persecuted for our beliefs. When we face such trials, we may wonder: ‘Why is this happening to me? Have I done something wrong? Does this indicate that Jehovah is not blessing me?’ Have you ever felt that way? If so, do not be discouraged. Many of Jehovah’s loyal servants have struggled with similar feelings.​—Ps. 22:1, 2; Hab. 1:2, 3.

3. What can we learn from Psalm 34:19?

³ Read Psalm 34:19. Note two important points in this psalm: (1) Righteous people face problems. (2) Jehovah delivers us from our trials. How does Jehovah deliver us? One way is by helping us to have a realistic view of life in this system of things. While Jehovah does promise that we will have joy in serving him, he does not guarantee a worry-free life now. (Isa. 66:14) He urges us to focus on our future​—the time when we will have the life that he wants us to enjoy forever. (2 Cor. 4:16-18) In the meantime, he helps us to keep going each day.​—Lam. 3:22-24.

4. What will we discuss in this article?

⁴ Let us discuss what we can learn from the examples of faithful worshippers of Jehovah, both in Bible times and in our day. As we will see, we may face unexpected problems. But when we lean on Jehovah, he will never fail to sustain us. (Ps. 55:22) As we consider these examples, ask yourself: ‘How would I have reacted in a similar situation? How do these examples strengthen my trust in Jehovah? What lessons can I apply to my own life?’

5. What challenges did Jacob face because of Laban? (See cover picture.)

⁵ Servants of Jehovah in Bible times faced challenges that they did not expect. Consider Jacob. He was commanded by his father to take a wife from the daughters of Laban, a believing relative, and was assured that Jehovah would bless him richly. (Gen. 28:1-4) So Jacob did the right thing. He left the land of Canaan and journeyed to the home of Laban, who had two daughters​—Leah and Rachel. Jacob fell in love with Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel, and agreed to work seven years for her father before marrying her. (Gen. 29:18) But matters did not turn out as Jacob had hoped. Laban tricked him into marrying his older daughter, Leah. Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel a week later, but only if he worked seven more years. (Gen. 29:25-27) Laban was also unfair in his business dealings with Jacob. In all, Laban exploited Jacob for 20 years!​—Gen. 31:41, 42.

6. What other problems did Jacob endure?

⁶ Jacob endured other problems. He had a large family, but his sons did not always get along with one another. They even sold their own brother Joseph into slavery. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, brought disgrace on the family and reproach on Jehovah’s name. In addition, Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel, died while giving birth to their second child. And because of a severe famine, Jacob was forced to move to the land of Egypt in his old age.​—Gen. 34:30; 35:16-19; 37:28; 45:9-11, 28.

7. How did Jehovah show Jacob that he had His favor?

⁷ Through it all, Jacob never lost faith in Jehovah and in His promises. In turn, Jehovah showed Jacob that he had His favor. For example, despite Laban’s deceitfulness, Jehovah blessed Jacob materially. And just think of how grateful Jacob must have been to Jehovah when he was reunited with Joseph​—the son whom he had long thought to be dead! Jacob’s close friendship with Jehovah enabled him to face his trials successfully. (Gen. 30:43; 32:9, 10; 46:28-30) When we maintain a close friendship with Jehovah, we too can successfully deal with unexpected trials.

8. What did King David hope to do?

⁸ King David could not do everything he had hoped to do in Jehovah’s service. For example, David earnestly desired to build a temple for his God. He expressed that desire to the prophet Nathan. In reply, Nathan said: “Do whatever is in your heart, for the true God is with you.” (1 Chron. 17:1, 2) We can only imagine how those words must have encouraged David. Perhaps he immediately began planning for this grand project.

9. How did David react to disappointing news?

⁹ Soon, though, Jehovah’s prophet returned with disappointing news. “On that very night,” Jehovah told Nathan that David would not be the one to build the temple; rather, one of his sons would do so. (1 Chron. 17:3, 4, 11, 12) How did David react when he received this message? He adjusted his goal. He focused on gathering the funds and the materials that his son Solomon would need for the project.​—1 Chron. 29:1-5.

10. How did Jehovah bless David?

¹⁰ Immediately after informing David that he would not be the one to build the temple, Jehovah made a covenant with him. Jehovah promised David that one of his descendants would rule forever. (2 Sam. 7:16) In the new world, imagine how happy David will be to learn that he is enjoying life under the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus, a King from his own family line! This account helps us to see that even if we cannot do all that we had hoped to do for Jehovah, our God may have other blessings in store for us that we could never have anticipated.

11. How were first-century Christians blessed even though the Kingdom did not come when they expected it? (Acts 6:7)

¹¹ First-century Christians dealt with uncertainties. For instance, they were eager for God’s Kingdom to come, but they did not know when that would happen. (Acts 1:6, 7) So, what did they do? They kept busy in the preaching work. As the good news spread, they saw tangible proof of Jehovah’s blessing on their efforts.​—Read Acts 6:7.

12. What did first-century Christians do when there was a famine?

¹² At one point, a great famine came “on the entire inhabited earth.” (Acts 11:28) First-century Christians were not spared. Can you imagine how this severe food shortage must have affected them? No doubt family heads worried about how they would provide for their household. And what about young people who had been planning to expand their ministry? Might they have felt that they should delay those plans? Regardless of their circumstances, the Christians adapted. They continued to preach in any way that they could, and they gladly shared their material belongings with fellow believers in Judea.​—Acts 11:29, 30.

13. What blessings did the Christians experience during the famine?

¹³ What blessings did the Christians experience during the famine? Those who received relief supplies saw Jehovah’s support firsthand. (Matt. 6:31-33) They must have felt closer to their fellow believers who had come to their assistance. And those who made donations or who otherwise shared in the relief work experienced the happiness that comes from giving. (Acts 20:35) Jehovah blessed all of them as they adapted to the changing circumstances.

14. What happened to Barnabas and the apostle Paul, and with what results? (Acts 14:21, 22)

¹⁴ First-century Christians were often persecuted, sometimes when they may have least expected it. Consider what happened to Barnabas and the apostle Paul while they were preaching in the area of Lystra. At first, they were warmly received by those who listened to them. But later, opposers “persuaded the crowds,” and some of those same people stoned Paul and left him for dead. (Acts 14:19) But Barnabas and Paul continued preaching elsewhere. The results? They made “quite a few disciples,” and their words and example strengthened their fellow believers. (Read Acts 14:21, 22.) Many benefited because Barnabas and Paul did not give up in the face of sudden persecution. As long as we do not give up in the work Jehovah has asked us to do, we will be blessed.

15. What do you learn from the example of Brother A. H. Macmillan?

¹⁵ During the years leading up to 1914, Jehovah’s people had high expectations. Consider, for example, Brother A. H. Macmillan. Like many at that time, Brother Macmillan thought that he would receive his heavenly reward very soon. In a talk he gave in September 1914, he said: “This is probably the last public address I shall ever deliver.” Of course, that was not his last talk. Brother Macmillan later wrote: “Perhaps some of us had been a bit too hasty in thinking that we were going to heaven right away.” He added: “The thing for us to do would be to keep busy in the Lord’s service.” Brother Macmillan did keep busy. He was zealous in the ministry. He had the privilege of encouraging many brothers who were in prison for their neutrality. And he faithfully attended congregation meetings even in his later years. How did Brother Macmillan benefit from using his time productively while he waited for his reward? Shortly before his death in 1966, he wrote: “My faith is as strong today as it ever was.” What an excellent attitude for all of us to imitate​—especially if we have been enduring longer than we anticipated!​—Heb. 13:7.

16. What unexpected challenge did Herbert Jennings and his wife face? (James 4:14)

¹⁶ Many of Jehovah’s people struggle with unexpected health problems. For instance, in his life story, Brother Herbert Jennings b described how he and his wife had enjoyed their assignment as missionaries in Ghana. In time, however, he was diagnosed with a serious mood disorder. Drawing on the words of James 4:14, Brother Jennings called this development “a ‘tomorrow’ we did not anticipate.” (Read.) He wrote: “Facing reality, we arranged to leave Ghana and our many close friends and return to Canada [for medical treatment].” Jehovah helped Brother Jennings and his wife continue serving faithfully despite the challenge they were facing.

17. How did Brother Jennings’ example benefit fellow believers?

¹⁷ Brother Jennings’ candid remarks found in his life story had a great impact on others. One sister wrote: “I have never been as deeply moved as I was when I read this article. . . . Reading how Brother Jennings had to give up an assignment to care for his illness helped me to view my situation in a balanced way.” Similarly, a brother wrote: “After serving as a congregation elder for ten years, I had to relinquish my privilege because of a mental illness. My feelings of failure were such that it was often too depressing for me to read the life-story articles. . . . But Brother Jennings’ perseverance was uplifting to me.” This reminds us that when we endure unexpected problems, we can encourage others. Even when life does not turn out the way we had hoped, we can still be a living example of faith and endurance.​—1 Pet. 5:9.

18. As reenacted in the pictures, what do you learn from the example of a widow in Nigeria?

¹⁸ Disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic have affected many of Jehovah’s people. For example, a widow in Nigeria was very low on provisions. One morning, her daughter asked her what they were going to eat after they cooked their last cup of rice. Our sister told her daughter that they did not have any money or food left but that they should imitate the widow of Zarephath​—prepare their last meal and put their complete trust in Jehovah. (1 Ki. 17:8-16) Before they even started thinking about what they would eat for lunch that day, they received a package of relief supplies from fellow believers. The package contained enough food to last for more than two weeks. The sister said that she did not realize how closely Jehovah was listening to what she had told her daughter. Indeed, when we rely on Jehovah, life’s uncertainties can actually draw us closer to him.​—1 Pet. 5:6, 7.

19. What persecution has Aleksey Yershov endured?

¹⁹ In recent years, many of our brothers and sisters have endured persecution that they may not have expected. Consider Brother Aleksey Yershov, who lives in Russia. Jehovah’s people in that area enjoyed a measure of freedom when Brother Yershov was baptized in 1994. In later years, though, the situation in Russia changed. In 2020, Brother Yershov’s home was invaded and searched, and many of his possessions were confiscated. Several months later, the government filed criminal charges against him. To make matters worse, the charges were based on video recordings made by a person who pretended for over a year to be interested in studying the Bible. What a betrayal!

20. How has Brother Yershov strengthened his relationship with Jehovah?

²⁰ Has anything good come out of Brother Yershov’s ordeal? Yes. His relationship with Jehovah has grown stronger. “My wife and I pray together more frequently,” he says. “I realize that I would not be able to manage this situation without Jehovah’s help.” He adds: “Personal study helps me to deal with discouragement. I meditate on the examples of faithful servants in the past. There are many accounts recorded in the Bible highlighting how important it is to keep calm and to show trust in Jehovah.”

21. What have we learned in this article?

²¹ What have we learned in this article? Life in this system of things is uncertain. Even so, Jehovah always helps his servants when they rely on him. As stated in our theme scripture, “many are the hardships of the righteous one, but Jehovah rescues him from them all.” (Ps. 34:19) May we continue to focus, not on our hardships, but on Jehovah’s sustaining power. Then like the apostle Paul, we can say: “For all things I have the strength through the one who gives me power.”​—Phil. 4:13.