How Long Oh Jehovah Must I Wait? "I said: ‘How long, O Jehovah?’ (Isaiah 6:11). ??♀️?♀️?

[Bible Speaks]

How Long Oh Jehovah Must I Wait?

"I said: ‘How long, O Jehovah?’ (Isaiah 6:11).

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Show a Waiting Attitude!

“I will show a waiting attitude for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”—MICAH 7:7.

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MANY things in life can be viewed either positively or negatively, depending on our attitude. 

The attitude of a Christian today can similarly make things appear either bright or gloomy. Without the proper attitude, a Christian could easily lose his joy, and that would be serious because, as Nehemiah said: “The joy of Jehovah is [our] stronghold.” (Nehemiah 8:10) A positive, joyful attitude helps to keep us strong and promotes peace and unity in the congregation.—Romans 15:13;Philippians 1:25.

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Despite living in difficult times, Jeremiah displayed a positive attitude. Even when he witnessed the horrors of Jerusalem’s fall in 607 B.C.E., he could see positive things. Jehovah would not forget Israel, and the nation would survive. Jeremiah wrote in the book of Lamentations: “It is the acts of loving-kindness of Jehovah that we have not come to our finish, because his mercies will certainly not come to an end. They are new each morning. Your faithfulness is abundant.” (Lamentations 3:22, 23) 

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Six hundred years after Jeremiah, Jesus was helped to endure because of his positive attitude. We read: “For the joy that was set before [Jesus] he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) Whatever opposition or persecution Jesus had to face—even the agony of the torture stake—he kept his mind on “the joy that was set before him.” That joy was the privilege of vindicating Jehovah’s sovereignty and sanctifying his name as well as the prospect of bringing great blessings to obedient mankind in the future.

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If we cultivate a mental attitude like that of Jesus, we will not lose the joy of Jehovah even if things do not always happen as and when we expect them to. The prophet Micah said: “As for me, it is for Jehovah that I shall keep on the lookout. I will show a waiting attitude for the God of my salvation.” (Micah 7:7;Lamentations 3:21) 

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Maintaining a waiting attitude does not mean being lazy or inactive. We have things to do. For example, we need to be occupied in personal Bible study and thus show the same keen interest in spiritual things that the faithful prophets and even the angels showed. Speaking of such interest, Peter says: “Concerning this very salvation a diligent inquiry and a careful search were made by the prophets . . . Into these very things angels are desiring to peer.” (1 Peter 1:10-12) Not only is personal study a must but so are regular meeting attendance and prayer. (James 4:8) Those who show an awareness of their spiritual need by regularly taking in spiritual food and associating with fellow Christians demonstrate that they have adopted Christ’s mental attitude.—Matthew 5:3.

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Keep on taking in spiritual food. Build an ever closer relationship with Jehovah. Seek out others whose hearts move them to serve Jehovah. Encourage fellow believers. Take the fullest advantage of whatever time Jehovah will yet allow. Then, waiting on Jehovah will never make you ‘sick at heart.’ Instead, it will fill you with joy!

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https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2000642