1. How God gave his servant them strength way back?

 MOST of the time, the Bible can describe faithful men to be strong. But they not always use to feel strong. For example, sometime King David use to feel he was strong like mountain, but sometime he use to feel weak and get scary. (Ps. 30:7) God spirit made Samson to be strong bad way. But he knew that if it was not for God spirit, he will get weak and be like any other person. (Judg. 14:​5, 6; 16:17) This faithful men them were strong only because Jehovah gave them power.

2. Why the apostle Paul say that he was weak and strong at the same time? (2 Corinthians 12:​9, 10)

² The apostle Paul say that he too needed strength from Jehovah. (Read 2 Corinthians 12:​9, 10.) Like plenty of us, Paul was having health problems. (Gal. 4:​13, 14) Sometime, it was hard for him to do the right thing. (Rom. 7:​18, 19) And sometime he use to worry and be scare of what will happen to him. (2 Cor. 1:​8, 9) But when Paul was weak, he got the strength he needed. How? Jehovah gave Paul the strength he needed to bear his problem them.

3. What question them we will answer in this article?

³ Jehovah promise to give us the strength to endure too. (1 Pet. 5:10) But we must not expect to get that help if we not do anything to get it. For example, the engine can make the car to move. But the driver must press the accelerator for the car to go. That the same way Jehovah ready to give us the strength we need, but we must do some thing them to benefit from it. Wetin Jehovah na  give to make us strong? And wetin we must do so we can get that strength? We will know the answers to this question them by looking at how Jehovah help three people in the Bible. The prophet Jonah, Mary Jesus ma, and the apostle Paul. We will also see how Jehovah can use this same way them to continue to give his servant them strength today.

4. How we can get strength from Jehovah?

⁴ One way we can get strength from Jehovah that by praying to him. Jehovah will answer our prayer by giving us “the power that more than our normal strength.” (2 Cor. 4:7) We can also get strength when we read the Bible and think on it. (Ps. 86:11) The message Jehovah gave us in the Bible can give us power. (Heb. 4:12) When you pray to Jehovah and read the Bible, you will get the strength to endure, to continue to be happy, or to do any hard assignment. Let see how Jehovah help the prophet Jonah to be strong.

5. Why the prophet Jonah needed strength?

⁵ The prophet Jonah needed to be brave. He was scare to go to the place Jehovah sent him. So, he got on one ship to run away to different place. Because of this, he and the people on the ship almost die in one heavy storm. When the people throw him in the water, one big fish swallow him. In the fish stomach was really dark. How you think Jonah was feeling? You think he was expecting to die in the fish stomach? You think he was thinking that Jehovah na forget about him? We sure Jonah was really scary.

6. According to Jonah 2:​1, 2, 7, how Jonah get strength when he was in the fish stomach?

⁶ Wetin Jonah do to get strength the time he was by himself in the fish stomach? He pray to Jehovah. (Read Jonah 2:​1, 2, 7.) Even though Jonah not obey Jehovah, he repent and he was having faith that Jehovah will listen to him when he pray. Jonah also think good-good about some scripture them he read before. Why we say that? His prayer that in Jonah chapter 2, use plenty word them that we can find in the book of Psalms. (For example, compare Jonah 2:​2, 5 with Psalm 69:1; 86:7.) It clear that Jonah knew this scripture them good-good. And by thinking about this scripture them when he was going through this problem, he was convince that Jehovah was coming help him. Later on, Jehovah save him and he was ready to do the work that Jehovah gave him to do.—Jonah 2:10–3:4.

7-8. How one brother in Taiwan get strength when he was going through problems?

⁷ Jonah example can help us when we going through different-different problem them. For example, one brother in Taiwan name Zhiming, b suffering from serious health problems. Beside that one, some of his family member was really treating him bad because he serving Jehovah. He get strength from Jehovah by praying and studying the Bible. He say, “Sometime, when I facing some problems, it can worry me bad way and it can be hard for me to do my personal study.” But he can’t give up. He say, “First, I can pray to Jehovah. Then I can use my ear piece to listen to our  Kingdom songs. Sometime, I can even sing them in low voice until my heart come down. Then I can start studying.”

⁸ The thing them Zhiming learn from his personal study, gave him strength to endure his problems. For example, when he was getting well from one major operation, one nurse told him that because his blood low he will need to take blood. The night before his operation, Zhiming read about one sister who went under the same operation. Her blood was even low more than his own but she not agree to take blood and she still get better. That experience gave Zhiming strength to remain faithful.

9. If you worrying bad way because you going through problem, wetin you can do? (Also see the pictures.)

⁹ When you going through problem, you can worry bad way until you not able to pray? Or you can feel too weak to study? Remember that Jehovah understand your problem good-good. So even when you say one short prayer, you can be sure that he will give you just what you need. (Eph. 3:20) If it hard for you to read and study because you sick, tire or you really worrying, you can listen to the audio recordings of the Bible or one of our publications. It will also help you if you listen to one of our songs or watch one video on jw.org. When you pray to Jehovah and look for the answer them in the Bible and in our publications, then Jehovah will make you strong.

10. How our brother and sister them can encourage us?

¹⁰ Jehovah can use our brother and sister them to encourage us. They can really comfort us when we facing problem or when we fighting with assignment that hard to do. (Col. 4:​10, 11) We can really need friends especially when we going through hard time. (Prov. 17:17) When we feeling weak, our brother and sister them can encourage us, give us what we need and help us to keep serving Jehovah.  Let see how other people help Mary Jesus ma, to be strong.

11. Why Mary needed strength?

¹¹ Mary needed strength to do Jehovah will. Think about how Mary was feeling when angel Gabriel gave her that big assignment. She was not marry yet, but the angel say she will get pregnant. She was not having any experience about bringing children up. But she suppose to take care of the child who was coming be the Messiah. How she was coming tell Joseph that she pregnant when she never do man and woman business before?—Luke 1:​26-33.

12. According to Luke 1:​39-45, how Mary get the strength she needed?

¹² How Mary get the strength to do this strange and hard assignment? She get help from other people. For example, she ask angel Gabriel to help her with more information about the assignment. (Luke 1:34) It not stay long, she travel all the way through the mountains to visit her relative Elizabeth in Judah. Mary benefit from that visit. Elizabeth tell Mary thank you and Jehovah spirit help Elizabeth to tell Mary one encouraging prophecy about the child that was in her stomach. (Read Luke 1:​39-45.) Mary say that Jehovah use his power to do something great. (Luke 1:​46-51) Jehovah gave Mary strength through angel Gabriel and Elizabeth.

13. What happen when one sister ask the brother and sister them for help?

¹³ Like Mary, your brothers and sisters can help you get strength. One sister in Bolivia name Dasuri, needed that type of help. Her pa was having bad sickness that was not having cure. When he was in the hospital, Dasuri wanted to always be there to take care of him. (1 Tim. 5:4) It was not always easy. She say, “Plenty time, I use to feel that I was not able to continue doing it.” You think she ask for help? From the beginning, she not ask anybody to help her. She say, “I never wanted to give the brother them hard time. I was thinking that Jehovah will be the one to give me the thing them I need. But then I got to know that when I stay by myself, I was trying to solve the problem on my own.” (Prov. 18:1) So Dasuri decided to write letter to some of her friend them and explain her problem. She say, “I can’t even describe how the brother them really encourage me. They brought food to the hospital and use the Bible to encourage me. I really happy to know that we not alone. All of us part of Jehovah big family. And our brother and sister them want help us, cry with us and encourage us to continue serving Jehovah with them.”

14. Why we must accept help from the elder them?

¹⁴ One way that Jehovah giving us strength, that through the elder them. The elder them that gifts from Jehovah to give us strength and encourage us. (Isa. 32:​1, 2) So when you worrying, feel free to tell the elder them. Be willing to accept the help the elder them will give you. Jehovah can use them to make you strong.

15. What hope all Christians having?

¹⁵ The promise them in the Bible can give us hope and the strength to continue serving Jehovah. (Rom. 4:​3, 18-20)  All Christians get the hope to live forever either in heaven or on paradise earth. Because of this hope, we get the strength to bear all our problems, preach the good news, and do different-different assignments in the congregation. (1 Thess. 1:3) That the same hope encourage the apostle Paul.

16. Why the apostle Paul needed strength?

¹⁶ Paul needed strength. In the letter he write to the Corinthians, he compare himself to clay pot that easy to burst. He was “hard-pressed,” “perplexed,” “persecuted,” and “knocked down.” Sometime his life was even in danger. (2 Cor. 4:​8-10) Paul write this word them down when he was on his third missionary visit. Maybe he never knew that time that he was coming face more problems. To the end of that visit, group of people attack him, they arrest him, he almost leave in the sea and they put him in jail.

17. According to 2 Corinthians 4:​16-18, what help Paul to get strength to bear all his problem them?

¹⁷ Paul got the strength to bear his problem them because he focus on his hope. (Read 2 Corinthians 4:​16-18.) He told the Corinthians that even if his physical strength was going down, he will not get discourage. Paul focus on his future. Paul hope was so special to him that he was willing to bear any problem just to get that hope. Paul use to think on that hope, and because of that he use to be having strength every day.

18. How the hope Tihomir and his family was having gave them strength?

¹⁸ One brother from Bulgaria name Tihomir, got strength from thinking about his hope for the future. Few years ago, his small brother, Zdravko, die in accident. Because of that, Tihomir really use to feel bad for some time. To bear this problem, he and his family use to think about how the resurrection will be. He say: “For example, we use to talk  about where we will meet Zdravko, what kind na food we will cook for him, who all we will invite to the first party when he come back, and wetin we will tell him about the last days.” Tihomir say that focusing on their hope gave he and his family the strength to continue enduring and waiting for the time Jehovah will bring his brother back to life.

19. Wetin you can do to make your hope strong? (Also see the picture.)

¹⁹ How you can make your hope strong? If, for example, you get the hope to live forever on earth, then read about how the Bible describe paradise and think on it good-good. (Isa. 25:8; 32:​16-18) Think about how life will be like in the new world. Imagine yourself there. Who you can see? What kind na sound them you hearing? How you feeling? To help you to imagine how paradise will be looking, look at the picture them in our publications that show how Paradise will be looking or watch one music video, like The New World to Come, Just Around the Corner, or Imagine the Time. If we always take time to think about the new world, our problem them will be “momentary and light.” (2 Cor. 4:17) The hope Jehovah na give you can help you to go through problems.

20. Even when we feeling weak, how we can get strength?

²⁰ Even when we feeling weak, by the help of Jehovah we will get strength. (Ps. 108:13) Jehovah already na give you what you need to get strength from him. So, when you need help to do your assignment, to bear any problem, or to continue to be happy, pray to Jehovah from your heart and look for his help by doing your personal study. Accept encouragement from your brother and sister them. Always take time to think about the hope for the future. Then you will be “strengthened with all power according to [God’s] glorious might so that you may endure fully with patience and joy.”—Col. 1:11.