Yellow: Direct Response
Light Yellow: Additional Response
Celeste: Additional Points
“Give thanks to Jehovah, for he is good; his loyal love endures forever” (Ps. 136:1).
1, 2. How do many brothers feel about life's blows?
Imagine a ship in the middle of a raging storm. The waves of the raging sea make it rise and fall, battering it hard and threatening to send it adrift. The only way to avoid this and keep the ship stable is by dropping anchor.
2 Are you going through a difficult situation? Then maybe you feel like that ship. Life's hardships can cause your emotions to soar. One day you're convinced that Jehovah loves and helps you, and the next you think he doesn't even notice what you're going through. (Ps. 10:1; 13:1). A friend may offer you words of encouragement, and that may make you feel better for a while (Prov. 17:17; 25:11). But then the doubts return. You may even feel that Jehovah no longer cares about you. If you are in this situation, how can you “drop anchor,” that is, have the assurance—and never lose it—that Jehovah loves and helps you?
3. (a) What is loyal love? (Psalm 31:7; 136:1) (b) Why do we say that no one displays this quality better than Jehovah? (See also the picture.)
3 When we go through a difficult situation, one way to “drop anchor” is to remember Jehovah’s loyal love (read Psalm 31:7; 136:1). The expression “loyal love” conveys the idea of a deep and lasting attachment that one person has to another. No one exemplifies this quality better than Jehovah. In fact, the Bible says that he is “full of loyal love” and that his loyal love for his servants “is immense.” (Ex. 34:6, 7; Ps. 86:5). Think about what that means: Jehovah never abandons his faithful servants! Remembering this can help you stay strong in the face of life’s storms. (Ps. 23:4).
ILLUSTRATION
A sailboat's anchor is submerged in the sea and thus prevents the sailboat from drifting during a storm.
Just as an anchor prevents a ship from drifting during a storm, trust in Jehovah’s love keeps us steady when we go through difficulties. (See paragraph 3.)
LET US VIEW JEHOVAH'S LOVE AS A BASIC TEACHING OF THE BIBLE
4. What are some basic teachings of the Bible? Why don't we let anything make us believe otherwise?
4 Another way to “drop anchor” in the face of problems is to view Jehovah’s love as a basic Bible teaching. What are the basic Bible teachings for you? These are the fundamental truths we learn from God's Word. For example, that God's name is Jehovah, that Jesus is his only begotten Son, that the dead are unconscious, that the Earth will be a paradise, and that human beings will live on it forever. (Psalm 83:18; Ecclesiastes 9:5; John 3:16; Revelation 21:3, 4). Once you are convinced that these teachings are true because they are based on facts and evidence, you won't let anything make you believe otherwise, will you? Similarly, if you view Jehovah's love as a basic teaching of the Bible, it will be easier for you to reject the idea that he does not notice you or care about what happens to you. Let's talk more about it.
5. How does a person come to reject false beliefs?
5 When you first began to study the Bible, what helped you to reject any false beliefs you may have had? You probably compared what your religion taught with what the Bible teaches. Let's say you used to believe that Jesus is God. As you studied, you wondered, "Is that true?" Then you analyzed what the Bible says and realized that belief is false. So you set it aside and accepted this truth: Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation” and the “only begotten Son of God.” (Col. 1:15; John 3:18). Of course, false teachings can be “strongly entrenched,” so it may not be easy for us to tear them down (2 Cor. 10:4, 5). However, once we manage to leave them behind, we don't allow anything to make us go back to them. (Phil. 3:13).
6. Why is the phrase “his faithful love endures forever” repeated so many times in Psalm 136?
6 You can use the same method if you are going through a difficult time and begin to think that Jehovah may not love you. Ask yourself, “Is that true?” Then compare your doubts with what the Bible teaches about Jehovah’s love at Psalm 136:1, the theme text for this article. Why does Jehovah say that his love is “loyal”? And why is the phrase “his loyal love endures forever” repeated 26 times in that psalm? As we can see, the fact that God feels loyal love for his people is a biblical truth as fundamental as the other basic teachings you have come to embrace. The idea that Jehovah doesn't care about you is not true, so reject it as firmly as any other false belief.
7. What are some texts that confirm that Jehovah does love us?
7 In the Bible we find many other texts that confirm that Jehovah does love us. Let's look at two very clear examples. Jesus told his disciples: “You are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:31). He did not say: “You may be worth more than many sparrows.” And Jehovah himself said to his people: “I will give you strength. Yes, I will help you. With my righteous right hand, I will uphold you” (Isa. 41:10). He did not say, “Perhaps I will help you.” As you can see, these texts are not talking about possibilities, but about certainties. So, if you are going through a difficult time and begin to doubt God’s love, these kinds of texts will not only make you feel better, but will also convince you that Jehovah does love you. Meditate on them and talk to Jehovah about your doubts. If you do, you will be able to say the same thing that the first-century Christians said: “We have come to know the love that God has for us and we believe in that love.” (1 John 4:16)
8. What can we do if we continue to doubt that Jehovah loves us?
8 What if you continue to have doubts that Jehovah loves you? Compare what you feel with what you know. Even if you feel that you don't have God's love, you know that's not true, because the Bible teaches us that Jehovah loves us. Remember that the Bible always tells the truth; in contrast, our feelings can deceive us. If we believe that God doesn't love us, we would be overlooking the fact that love is the very essence of His being. (1 Juan 4:8).
LET US REFLECT ON THE FACT THAT “THE FATHER HIMSELF” LOVES US
9, 10. What was Jesus talking about when he said, “You are loved by the Father”? (John 16:26, 27; see also the picture.)
9 Something else that will help us to be convinced that Jehovah loves us is to analyze this phrase that Jesus said to his disciples: “You are loved by the Father himself” (read John 16:26, 27). Why did he say that to them? Was it just to make them feel good? No, The context indicates that at that moment he was not talking about the feelings of his disciples, but about a different topic: prayer.
10 Jesus had just told his disciples that they should pray in his name, but not to him (John 16:23, 24). It was very important that they understand this. Why? Because, having become close friends with Jesus, after his resurrection they might have been tempted to pray to him. They might have reasoned that, since Jesus loved them so much, perhaps he would be moved to listen to their requests himself and pass them on to the Father. But Jesus made it clear that such reasoning would be incorrect, for he told them: “You are loved by the Father.” Indeed, Jehovah loves us so much that he personally takes care of listening to our prayers, and this is a basic truth that the Bible teaches about prayer. Think about what this means to you. By studying the Bible, you too have come to know and love Jesus (John 14:21). But, like the first-century disciples, you can direct your prayers to God with the confidence that he hears you and loves you. Every time you pray to Jehovah, you are demonstrating that you have faith that "the Father himself" loves you. (1 Juan 5:14).
ILLUSTRATION
Images of a brother praying confidently about three important matters while sitting on an outdoor bench. 1. His wife is sick in bed, and he brings her a meal. 2. His young daughter enjoys studying the Bible with him. 3. The brother reviews a stack of bank papers.
You can pray to Jehovah with confidence, for you know that “the Father himself” loves you. (See paragraphs 9 and 10.)
LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT WHERE THE DOUBTS COME FROM
11. Why does Satan rejoice if we begin to doubt Jehovah’s love?
11 Where do doubts about Jehovah’s love come from? We may think they come from Satan, and that is true. The Devil is “trying to devour” each one of us, and he wants us to think that Jehovah does not love us. (1 Ped. 5:8). Ultimately, it was love that moved Jehovah to give the ransom, and Satan wants us to feel that we do not deserve that gift. (Heb. 2:9) Who rejoices if we doubt Jehovah's love? Satan. And who rejoices if we give up when we go through trouble? Satan again. But wait a minute: he's the one who no longer has God's love! And now he wants us to think that we're the ones who lack Jehovah's love and approval?! That's certainly one of his most cunning traps. (Ephesians 6:11). Knowing his intentions motivates us to oppose him even more strongly. (James 4:7).
12, 13. Why might inherited sin cause us to doubt Jehovah's love?
12 Now, doubts about Jehovah’s love do not come only from Satan. They can also come from inherited sin, that is, our tendency to sin (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12). Sin has distanced us from our Creator, and it has also damaged our mind, our heart, and our body.
13 Sin has had a very negative effect on our emotions: it makes us feel guilt, anxiety, insecurity, and shame. These feelings can arise when we sin. But they can also arise because we are always aware that we are imperfect, that we are in a state completely different from the way Jehovah designed us. (Rom. 8:20, 21). Because of our imperfection, in a sense we are like a vehicle with a flat tire: we cannot function at full capacity, as we were designed. So it is not surprising that we sometimes have doubts about Jehovah’s love for us. In such cases, let us remember that Jehovah is “the great and awesome God who [...] shows loyal love to those who love him and obey his commandments” (Neh. 1:5).
14. Why does thinking about the ransom help us to stop doubting Jehovah’s love? (Romans 5:8; see also the box “Beware of the ‘deceptive power of sin’”).
14 We may sometimes feel that we do not deserve Jehovah’s love. And in a strict sense, that is true, but precisely for that reason, his love for us is so special. There is nothing we can do to earn his love. Even so, he loves us so much that he gave the ransom so that he could forgive our sins. (1 John 4:10) Let us also remember that Jesus did not come to save perfect people, but sinful people. (Read Romans 5:8). Jehovah does not expect us to do things perfectly, because he knows that we are not capable. Understanding that inherited sin can make us doubt God's love motivates us to fight against that thought even more strongly. (Rom. 7:24, 25).
LET'S MAKE THE DECISION TO BE LOYAL
15, 16. If we are loyal to Jehovah, what can we be sure of, and why? (2 Samuel 22:26).
15 In the face of life's storms, Jehovah wants us to make the right decision and cling to him (Deut. 30:19, 20). If we are loyal to him, we can be sure that he will be loyal to us too and will not abandon us no matter what. (Read 2 Samuel 22:26).
16 As we have seen, when we go through difficult situations, the best thing we can do is “drop anchor”: remember that Jehovah loves us and will be there to help us. And if we ever doubt His love, let us not forget that what we feel is one thing, and what we know to be true is another. Let us never lose faith in this basic truth taught by the Bible: Jehovah's loyal love lasts forever.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
Why is it good to view Jehovah's love as a basic teaching of the Bible?
Because if we are convinced that these teachings are true and based on facts and evidence, we will not let anything make us believe otherwise. Similarly, if we view Jehovah's love as a fundamental teaching of the Bible, it will be easier for us to reject the idea that he does not notice us or care about what happens to us.
Why might inherited sin cause us to doubt Jehovah's love?
Because sin has separated us from our Creator and has also damaged our mind, heart, and body. It makes us feel guilt, anxiety, insecurity, and shame. These feelings can arise when we sin, but they can also appear because we are always aware that we are imperfect and that we are far from the way Jehovah designed us.
What will help us to stop doubting Jehovah's love?
Thinking about the ransom will help us stop doubting Jehovah’s love, because we may sometimes feel that we don’t deserve it. Strictly speaking, that is true, but that is precisely why his love for us is so special. There is nothing we can do to earn his love. Even so, he loves us so much that he gave the ransom so that he could forgive our sins.
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