Know Dat Jehovah Going Help You Thru Hard Times

1-2. (a) How wat we going thru today is same like da Jews who wen go back Jerusalem? (b) Try tell some of da hard stuff da Jews wen deal wit. (Go look da box “Haggai, Zekariah, An Ezra’s Time.”)

YOU worry about da future sometimes? Maybe you wen lose yoa job an you worry about making nuff money fo take kea yoa family. Maybe you worry if yoa family going be safe cuz get problems wit da govament. O maybe peopo give you hard time, o dey try fo stop you from preaching. You going thru any of dese tings? If yea, going be good fo you see how Jehovah wen help out da Israel peopo wen dey wen get da same kine problems.

² Da Jews who wen live Babylon dea whole life had fo have strong faith fo leave behind all da good stuff dey had ova dea, an go one place dey neva know too much about. Az soon az dey wen get dea, was ony fas dey wen start fo have hard time. Was hard fo take kea dea ohana, da govament wen get problems, an erybody aroun dem wen start fo make trouble to dem. Az how come some of dem wen struggle fo make fixing up da temple da mos importan ting in dea life. So, aroun 520 B.C.E., Jehovah wen send two prophets, Haggai an Zekariah, fo help fire up da peopo fo do da work. (Hag 1:1; Zek 1:1) Like we going see, wat dese two prophets wen say wen help da peopo big time. But almos 50 years layta, da guys who wen go back Jerusalem wen need help again. Ezra, one guy who wen copy da law real good, wen come from Babylon an go Jerusalem fo help da people put Jehovah’s worship firs in dea life.​—Ezra 7:1, 6.

3. Wat questions we going go ova? (Smart Guys 22:19)

³ Haggai an Zekariah’s prophecies wen help God’s peopo befoa fo trus dat Jehovah was going help dem thru hard times. Dose same prophecies going help us today know fo shua dat Jehovah going help us wen we go thru hard stuff. (Read um Smart Guys 22:19.) Wen we look at Ezra’s exampo an wat Jehovah wen tell thru Haggai an Zekariah, we going ansa dese questions, How hard times had affeck dose Jews? Why we gotta put wat God like firs in oua life even wen we go thru hard stuffs? An how we can trus Jehovah moa wen times is hard?

HOW HARD TIMES WEN AFFECK DA JEWS

4-5. Wat maybe wen make da Jews fire fo build da temple cool down?

⁴ Wen da Jews wen go back Jerusalem, dey had plenny work fo do. Dey was fas fo build Jehovah’s altar again an put down da foundation fo da temple. (Ezra 3:1-3, 10) But dea fire fo da work wen cool down. How come? Dey neva have fo jus build da temple one moa time, but dey also had fo build houses fo live in, start fo grow crops, an feed dea ohanas. (Ezra 2:68, 70) On top of dat, had plenny guys who wen go agains dem dat wen make plans fo stop dem from building da temple.​—Ezra 4:1-5.

⁵ Odda tings da Jews who wen go back had fo deal wit was da govament, work, an da money situation was shaky. Dea land was now part of Persia. Afta Cyrus, da King of Persia, wen mahke in 530 B.C.E., da nex king, Cambyses, wanted fo take ova Egypt. Wen dey was going Egypt side, his army wen probly tell da Israel peopo fo give dem food, watta, an one place fo stay, making um even moa hard fo dem. Wen da nex king, Darius I, wen start fo rule, still had plenny problems, like da govament still yet no was solid, an da peopo was going agains da govament. Fo shua, all dis wen make da Jews worry about how dey was going take kea dea ohana. Cuz of all da hard stuffs dey was going thru, some Jews wen feel dis no was da right time fo build Jehovah’s temple again.​—Hag 1:2. 

6. From wat Zekariah 4:6, 7 tell, wat odda kine hard times da Jews had fo go up agains, an wat garuntee Zekariah wen tell dem?

⁶ Read um Zekariah 4:6, 7.  On top of da govament an money kine problems, da Jews had fo deal wit peopo going agains dem. Dose guys wen get da Persian govament fo stop da work on Jehovah’s temple in 522 B.C.E. But Zekariah wen tell da Jews dat garans Jehovah would use his spesho spirit fo help dem keep going, no matta wat kine hard times dey had fo deal wit. In 520 B.C.E. King Darius wen let dem work on da temple again, wen give dem money, an even had da local govanas help dem.​—Ezra 6:1, 6-10.

7. Cuz dey wen make building da temple again da main ting, how Jehovah wen bless da Jews?

⁷ Thru Haggai an Zekariah, Jehovah wen promise his peopo dat he would have dea back if dey wen make building da temple again da main ting. (Hag 1:8, 13, 14; Zek 1:3, 16) Wen da Jews wen hear wat da prophets wen tell, dey wen start fo work on da temple again in 520 B.C.E. an was pau building um in less den five years. Cuz dey wen make building da temple da main ting even if dey had plenny hard times, Jehovah wen help dem by giving dem wat dey wen need fo live an by helping dem stay close to him. Cuz of dat, wen dey was worshiping Jehovah, dey was happy.​—Ezra 6:14-16, 22.

MAKE DOING WAT JEHOVAH LIKE, DA MOS IMPORTAN TING

8. How Haggai 2:4 help us make doing wat Jehovah like, da mos importan ting? (Go look da extra info.)

⁸ Cuz da big trouble so close, is supa importan fo us rememba dat we gotta preach now moa den eva. (Mar 13:10) But can be hard fo make preaching da main ting if we get money kine problems o peopo go agains us. Wat can help us fo make wat Jehovah like da main ting in oua life? We gotta know fo shua dat Jehovah, ”‏da God Ova All Da Armies,”b stay wit us. No sked! He going help us if we make doing wat he like, da mos importan ting.​—Read um Haggai 2:4.

9-10. How one married couple wen see wat Jesus tell at Matthew 6:33, NWT come true fo dem?

⁹ Try look wat wen happen to Oleg an Irina,c one married couple who stay pionea preachas. Afta dey wen move fo help one local hui in anodda place, dey wen lose dea job cuz of da money kine problems in dea country. Even if dey neva have one steady job fo about one year, dey always wen feel Jehovah kea fo dem, an had times wea da braddahs an sistahs wen help dem too. How dey wen deal wit dese hard times? Oleg, who was all bum out at firs, wen tell, ”‏Trying fo spend as much time az can fo preach wen help us see wat stay mos importan in oua life.”‏ Even wen dey was looking fo work, dey still wen keep busy preaching.

¹⁰ One time afta dey wen come home from preaching, dey wen find out one close fren had come about 100 miles fo bring dem two bags groceries. Oleg tell, ”‏On dat day, we wen see again how much Jehovah kea fo us an also how much da local hui kea. We know fo shua dat Jehovah neva going foget his guys, even if dey feel like no moa hope.”​—Mat 6:33, NWT.

11. Wat going happen if we make doing wat Jehovah like, da mos importan ting?

¹¹ Jehovah like us save lives by helping peopo fo come his guys. Earlia in numba 7, Haggai wen tell Jehovah’s peopo fo start from scratch in worshiping him. If dey wen do dat, Jehovah wen promise fo ”‏do good kine tings”‏ fo dem.” (Hag 2:18, 19) Us too can know fo shua dat Jehovah going bless us if we make doing wat he like da mos importan ting.

HOW WE CAN TRUS JEHOVAH MOA

12. How come Ezra an da guys wit him wen need strong faith?

¹² In 468 B.C.E., Ezra wen go from Babylon to Jerusalem wit anodda group of Jews. Fo make dis trip, Ezra an da guys wit him wen need strong faith. Dey was going ova sketchy kine roads an had fo carry plenny gold an silva dat da king wen give dem fo da temple. So dat made dem easy targets fo da robbas attack um. (Ezra 7:12-16; 8:31) Not ony dat, but dey wen see dat Jerusalem no was safe. Neva have plenny peopo living dea, an da walls an gates was all bus up. So wat us can learn from Ezra about how we can trus Jehovah moa?

13. How Ezra wen trus Jehovah moa? (Go look da extra info.)

¹³ Ezra wen see how Jehovah had help his peopo in hard times. Earlia in 484 B.C.E., Ezra probly was living in Babylon wen King Xerxes I wen tell fo kill all da Jews in da Persia land. (Est 3:7, 13-15) Ezra’s life was in danger! Cuz of dis threat, da Jews ”‏inside ery districk”‏ wen skip food an was all sad, an probly wen pray to Jehovah fo help dem. (Est 4:3) Try tink how Ezra an da odda Jews had feel wen da guys who had plan fo kill dem, wen mahke instead! (Est 9:1, 2) Da hard times Ezra wen go thru maybe wen make him ready fo da problems layta on, an pretty much garans dis wen make his trus moa strong dat Jehovah going proteck His peopo.d

14. Wat one sistah had learn wen Jehovah take kea her in hard times?

¹⁴ Wen we see Jehovah take kea us wen we get hard times, oua trus in him grow moa strong. Try look wat wen happen to Anastasia, who live in Eastern Europe. She wen quit her job so she neva have fo take sides wit politic kine stuffs. She tell: ”‏Firs time in my life, I neva have money.”‏ Den she tell: ”‏I wen pray to Jehovah, an I wen see how he wen take kea me. If I eva lose my job again, I not going be sked. If my Faddah in heaven take kea me today, he going take kea me tomorrow.”‏

15. Wat wen help Ezra fo keep his trus in Jehovah strong? (Ezra 7:27, 28)

¹⁵ Ezra wen see how Jehovah wen help him plenny in his own life. Wen Ezra had tink about da plenny times Jehovah wen kea fo him in da pas, dis had help him fo keep his trus in Jehovah strong. Try look how he tell, ”‏My God, he like do good tings fo me, an help me plenny.” (Read um Ezra 7:27, 28.) Ezra wen say someting jus lidat five moa times in da book he wen write.​—Ezra 7:6, 9; 8:18, 22, 31.

16. Wen we can see Jehovah really help us? (Go look da picha.)

¹⁶ Jehovah can help us wen someting hard come up. Like if we ask oua boss fo time off so we can go one big kine meeting, o we ask fo change oua work schedule so we can make um to all da meetings, dass wen we really get one chance fo see Jehovah help us. Might shock us how good tings turn out. An dat going make oua trus in Jehovah grow moa strong.

17. How Ezra show he was humbo wen he had presha? (Go look da picha on da cova.)

¹⁷ Ezra was humbo an wen pray to Jehovah fo help. Weneva his kuleana wen make him feel presha, Ezra was humbo an wen pray to Jehovah. (Ezra 8:21-23; 9:3-5) Cuz Ezra wen trus Jehovah, dat wen make oddas like help him an copy his faith. (Ezra 10:1-4) So wen we feel presha an stress out about da tings we need fo live o about keeping oua ohana safe, we gotta trus Jehovah an pray to him.

18. Wat can help us make oua trus in Jehovah moa strong?

¹⁸ If we humbo an ask Jehovah fo help, an let oua braddahs an sistahs help us, oua trus in God going come moa strong. Erika, who get three kids, wen always trus dat Jehovah would take kea her, even wen horraz kine stuff wen happen to her. In ony one short time, her bebe dat was still inside her an her husband wen mahke. Talking about wat wen happen, she tell: ”‏You neva know how Jehovah going help you. Help can come in ways you no even expeck. I wen see dat Jehovah wen use my frenz fo ansa plenny of my prayers by da tings dey wen say o do. If I tell my frenz wat stay happening in my life, moa easy fo dem help me.”‏

TRUS JEHOVAH ALL DA WAY TO DA END

19-20. Wat we learn from da Jews who no could go back Jerusalem?

¹⁹ We can also learn someting importan from da Jews who no could go back to Jerusalem. Some of dem no could do az much cuz dey was old, sick, o had fo take kea dea ohana. Still yet, dey was happy fo give stuffs to da peopo going back fo help dem. (Ezra 1:5, 6) Look like even about 19 years afta da firs Jews had go back Jerusalem, da Jews who was lef in Babylon was still sending stuffs back to Jerusalem.​—Zek 6:10.

²⁰ Even if we no can do az much fo Jehovah az we like, we know fo shua dat Jehovah stay happy wit wat we do fo him. How we know? Back in Zekariah’s day, Jehovah wen ask his prophet fo make one crown outa da gold an silva da Jews in Babylon wen send. (Zek 6:11) Dis crown was going help dem ”‏no foget”‏ how much da peopo wen give. (Zek 6:14) We can know fo shua dat Jehovah neva going foget wat we do fo serve him in hard times.​—Heb 6:10.

21. Wat going help us trus Jehovah no matta wat going happen in da future?

²¹ Fo shua tings going be hard in da time we stay live in now, an going get even moa worse in da future. (2 Tim 3:1, 13) But we no need worry too much. Rememba wat Jehovah wen tell his peopo in Haggai’s day, ”‏[I] stay hea wit you guys . . . No sked!” (Hag 2:4, 5) Us too can be shua dat Jehovah going be wit us if we try oua bes fo do wat he like. If we use wat we wen learn from Haggai an Zekariah’s prophecies, an from wat Ezra wen do, we going keep oua trus in Jehovah strong no matta wat kine hard times we going get in da future.