Thursday, November 6
Give thanks for everything.—1 Thess. 5:18.
We have many reasons to thank Jehovah in prayer. We can thank him for any good thing that we have; after all, every good gift comes from him. (Jas. 1:17) For example, we can express our appreciation for the beauty of the earth and the marvels of creation. We can also express gratitude for our life, our family, our friends, and our hope. And we want to thank Jehovah for allowing us to enjoy his precious friendship. We may need to make a special effort to think about the reasons that we personally have to be grateful to Jehovah. We live in an unthankful world. People are often focused on what they want rather than on what they can do to show appreciation for what they have. If that attitude were to rub off on us, our prayers could become a list of requests. To prevent that from happening, we need to continue to cultivate and express appreciation for all that Jehovah does for us.—Luke 6:45. w23.05 4 ¶8-9
Friday, November 7
Keep asking in faith, not doubting at all.—Jas. 1:6.
As our loving Father, Jehovah does not like to see us in pain. (Isa. 63:9) Still, he does not prevent all our trials, which can be likened to rivers or flames. (Isa. 43:2) However, he does promise to help us “pass through” them. And he will not allow our trials to cause us permanent harm. Jehovah also gives us his powerful holy spirit to help us endure. (Luke 11:13; Phil. 4:13) As a result, we can be confident that we will always have exactly what we need in order to endure and to remain faithful to him. Jehovah expects us to trust in him. (Heb. 11:6) At times, our trials may seem insurmountable. We might even begin to doubt whether Jehovah will help us. But the Bible assures us that by God’s power we can “scale a wall.” (Ps. 18:29) So instead of giving in to our doubts, we should pray in full faith, trusting that Jehovah will answer our prayers.—Jas. 1:6, 7. w23.11 22 ¶8-9
Saturday, November 8
[Love’s] flames are a blazing fire, the flame of Jah. Surging waters cannot extinguish love, nor can rivers wash it away.—Song of Sol. 8:6, 7.
What a beautiful description of true love! These words contain a reassuring truth for married couples: You can have unfailing love for each other. Whether a married couple will have unfailing love as long as they live depends on them. To illustrate, a campfire has the potential to burn indefinitely—but only if it is fed. If left unattended, the fire will eventually go out. Likewise, the love between a husband and wife can remain strong indefinitely—but only if they nurture their relationship. At times, a couple could feel that their love is cooling off, especially when they are weighed down by financial hardship, health concerns, or the pressures of raising children. So to keep “the flame of Jah” alive, both husband and wife should work to have a strong relationship with Jehovah. w23.05 20-21 ¶1-3