Trust in Jehovah

 Gerrit Lösch: Trust in Jehovah

“In God we trust,” it says on U.S. dollar bills. However, according to the actual attitude of the people, should it not rather say, “In money we trust.” However, trusting in money or riches will lead to disappointment. Proverbs says: “The one trusting in his riches will fall.” As Jehovah’s Witnesses, we say: “In Jehovah we trust. Therefore, we will not fail.”

There are many reasons to trust Jehovah. We are all impressed by Jehovah’s works, aren’t we? This includes nature, and we are impressed when we look at majestic mountains, when we admire the beauty of flowers. There are ever so many different flowers in the world. Which one do you like best?

Men can make artificial flowers, but not real ones that reproduce. Men can make beautiful jewelry or other works of art; however, men cannot produce, or make, a single stem of grass, not to speak of flowers or trees. Should reflection on this not make us humble?

Man cannot create any living thing, but Jehovah can and did so. Jesus commanded, in connection with: “Take a lesson from the lilies of the field, how they grow; they do not toil, nor do they spin; but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.”

Yes, Jehovah is the Almighty, and he created nature and man. He did not need to create nature and us in order for him to be happy. He existed before he started to create for an unknown length of time, as we understand time. Since when does Jehovah exist? He always existed. How can we understand this? Suppose there was a time when Jehovah did not exist yet. Then nothing would exist now. Why? Because nothing can come from nothing. The fact that we exist is proof that Jehovah always existed. It’s that simple.

Before Jehovah started to create, he existed all alone. But he did not feel lonely, did he? He does not depend on others or on things to feel happy. The Bible says that he is “the happy God.” Jehovah exists “from time indefinite to time indefinite” and has complete knowledge of the universe and history. Psalm says: “O Jehovah, . . . from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.”

Jehovah created the universe, the earth, and man. He desired to let others share intelligent life and self-awareness out of love. It’s not that he needed other creatures to feel happy, and he didn’t also need material things to feel happy. He was happy since past eternity before creation.

How loving that he created mankind so that we can enjoy life and friendship with him! And what an expression of his almightiness, his wisdom, and his love! It impresses on our mind and heart how great Jehovah is. When we encounter challenges in our everyday lives, meditating on Jehovah will help us to endure challenges and difficulties of all sorts and to trust him.

You soon-to-be Gilead graduates will seem to find this to be true when you are confronted with problems in the future. If you experience problems, then what? Pray to Jehovah. His ability to hear prayers is mind-boggling.

Is it not so that when we pray, we have the feeling that Jehovah at that moment has nothing else in mind or to do than just listen to us? But he can listen to tens of thousands of prayers in hundreds of languages all at the same time. This includes prayers, which are not presented audibly, but silent prayers also spoken in our heart and our mind. How awesome!

This really strengthens our trust and faith in him, doesn’t it?

The universe that Jehovah created strengthens our trust in him. We feel really small and insignificant when we think about how the universe got started about, as scientists say, billions of years ago. Let us consider a few facts in connection with the universe that expands, comments that were made about galaxies that move into empty space, empty space where no galaxies or stars are yet. Even with the newest telescope, scientists have not reached the border of the physical universe, behind which there is nothing, just empty space.

It is mind-boggling to meditate on the universe. Looking at the starry heaven at night, have you ever wondered how far out into space you’re actually peering or how many stars you can see with the naked eye?

At Psalm, David wrote about looking at the stars. He said: “When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and a son of man that you take care of him?”

It really can make us feel humble to meditate on the universe. How far into the universe could David and can we peer? At a distance of some hundreds of thousands of light years, according to The Watchtower. It is estimated that our Milky Way alone contains billions of stars. The stars move with fantastic speed. The Wikipedia Encyclopedia says: “The speed of our solar system circulating in our galaxy is about kilometers per second and as scientists found out, at the speed of miles per hour.”

It is estimated that a light beam takes about 100,000 years from one end of our Milky Way to the other end. If we look at our Milky Way from outside our Milky Way and from a different angle, we would see it like a disk, but we see it as a way because of the location of our solar system in the outskirts of the Milky Way.

In the book Guide to the Galaxy, it says: “It takes the solar system 240 million years to complete the grand circuit around the galaxy. This speed is an absolute speed.”

Astronomers estimated there are approximately billions to trillions of galaxies in the universe. But how many stars? It is estimated between sextillion and septillion, if it means something to you. You may wonder, ‘What is 1 septillion?’ Well, it is, as we can see illustrated, 1 with many zeros, that is, if you take a billion and you multiply that by a quadrillion, you get 1 septillion. Can you follow? It’s hard for me.

The Watchtower of raised the question: “Where . . . is the source of all the energy represented by the millions of stars in our galaxy [that’s just one galaxy], as well as the more than thousands of galaxies that make up the visible universe?”

The Bible encourages us to meditate on the universe. It strengthens our trust in Jehovah. The Bible says:

“Raise your eyes high up and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who is bringing forth the army of them by number, all of whom he calls even by name. Due to the abundance of dynamic energy, he also being vigorous in power, not one [of them] is missing.”

Well, who is that One? Of course, Jehovah.

Why is it good to talk about the universe since it is so hard to fathom its size? The universe proves that Jehovah is Almighty.

And this inspires us to trust in his prophecies about putting an end to wickedness, putting an end to the Devil, and creating a paradise on earth for all obedient mankind.

It’s good to reflect on what David wrote about Jehovah in Psalm 139.

In verses 1 to 5, David is confident of Jehovah’s interest in him.

Jehovah wants to hear from us. We can share our innermost thoughts. We can tell Jehovah anything without being embarrassed.

So let’s look at the scripture.

Psalm 139 from verse 1:

“O Jehovah, you have searched through me, and you know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You observe me when I travel and when I lie down; you are familiar with all my ways. There is not a word on my tongue, but look! O Jehovah, you already know it well. Behind and before me, you surround me; and you lay your hand upon me.”

So that’s a very impressive text, isn’t it?

In verses 6 to 13, then David tried to comprehend Jehovah’s greatness. It was too much for him. And so in verse 6, he goes on to say:

“Such knowledge is beyond my comprehension. It is too high for me to reach. Where can I escape from your spirit, and where can I run away from your face? If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there, and if I were to make my bed in the Grave, look! you would be there. If I would fly away with the wings of the dawn to reside by the most remote sea, even there your hand would lead me and your right hand would take hold of me. If I say: ‘Surely darkness will conceal me!’ then the night around me would become light. Even the darkness would not be too dark for you, but night would be as bright as the day; darkness is the same as light to you.”

“For you produced my kidneys; you kept me screened off in my mother’s womb.”

David is amazed at Jehovah’s wisdom in creating the human body. He gives all credit to Jehovah for his extraordinary gift.

Verse 14 continues to say:

“I praise you because in an awe-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was woven in the depths of the earth [figuratively]. Your eyes even saw me as an embryo; all its parts were written in your book regarding the days when they were formed, before any of them existed.”

So let’s read two more verses and see the effect it had on David and his complete trust and confidence in his heavenly Father.

Verse 17: “So to me, how precious your thoughts are! O God, how vast is the sum of them! If I try to count them, they outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.”

So we agree with David that we are created in a wonderful way, very impressive.

Well, think of, as an example, our ability to use language and thought.

We are also unique in our profound curiosity about ourselves, aren’t we? Different from all animals, we are unique in our ability to contemplate God’s thoughts.

This is one way we are made in God’s image.

Think of our eyes—a marvel. We have binocular vision—able to distinguish the relationship between different objects.

Think of our ears—a marvel. We hear in stereo.

Now let’s talk about the universe in our brain.

The book <i>The Physics Factbook</i>, edited by Glenn Elert, says (and I quote):

“Weighing around 3 pounds, the brain contains nearly 100 billion neurons.”

What are those? Nerve cells—100 billion neurons. If you don’t believe me, you can verify. Count them yourself, yeah?

The brain is the most complicated organ in the universe.

One reference work says about these nerve cells that they are as many as the stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

It also has trillions of supportive cells called glia.

Each neuron is connected to other neurons by as many as 40,000 individual connections, called synapses, between the cells.

The brain has more connections than there are stars in the universe.

(End of quote)

No question we are wonderfully made and all the praise belongs to Jehovah.

Being aware that Jehovah created this fantastic universe, the earth, and man, does this not help us to become more confident in our trust in Jehovah to be able and willing to help us when we face problems or challenges?

Should we face persecution or a ban on our work, then what?

Trust in Jehovah.

But Jehovah is not only all-powerful, he is also love personified.

Jehovah is very interested in you soon-to-be Gilead graduates. Yes, he is interested in all of us. He loves us.

He gave his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our sins and for the purpose of helping us to become perfect and enjoy everlasting friendship with him.

Jehovah had full trust and confidence in his Son’s faithfulness.

His love moves us to love.

“Love . . . is a perfect bond of union,” says Colossians 3:14.

Yes, it is the most powerful bond in the universe—perfect love bonding the Son and the Father together unbreakably.

For like reasons, God trusts his organization of servants, knowing that love would hold most of them immovably under test.

Psalm 56:11 says:
‘In God we have put our trust.’

Proverbs 3:5 encourages us:
“Trust in Jehovah with all your heart.”

Jesus is our best example.

When he was nailed to the torture stake, his enemies mockingly said:

“He has put his trust in God; let Him now rescue him if He wants him, for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”

On the other hand, Jehovah trusts us as well.

How encouraging!

He trusts his organization of servants, knowing that love would hold most of them, or most of us, immovable to him, immovable under test, and that his organization of creatures would never stop doing so.

He trusted Abraham.

He trusted other patriarchs.

He trusts the anointed ones today.

He trusts the members of the great crowd with an earthly hope.

Yes, Jehovah trusts you, and we trust that you all will continue to trust Jehovah forever.

Yes, in God we trust!

https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODPgmEvtGilead/pub-jwb-119_8_VIDEO