When Jehovah defeated

the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel,

I knew he was with me.
I felt strong.
And then suddenly I was running for my life,
hiding from Jezebel,
feeling more like a frightened child
than a prophet of the Most High God,
praying to die.
But Jehovah took care of me,
just as he had done so many times before,
and later
he reassured me that I was not alone.
I never was.
There was more work to do,
and that meant facing my enemies again.
But Jehovah had been teaching me all along
to wait on him.
Tell me more.
Well, here’s the thing
about patience, my brother:
You’re going to need some right now,
because this story
goes back more than sixty years.
England is a place of change.
Over the past decade,
thousands upon thousands of immigrants
have arrived in our country from overseas.
Lucille and I were like many others
who had come from the islands
during those years,
looking to start a new life.
We lived with Lucille’s brother,
who came here long before us.
He was so good to us.
He helped us find work
and made us feel right at home
—until we started studying the Bible,
that is.
These people twist the Bible
to say whatever they want.
Edwin, Edwin, they are good people
who just want to help; that’s it.
I warned you about these people before!
Edwin, they’re not—
They may seem good, but remember,
“What tastes sweet in the mouth
can burn the belly.”
Daddy always taught us to worship God.
We ‘worship Him in spirit and in truth.’
You know that.
No.
This is the truth.
No!
Edwin.
No, it’s their truth!
Edwin, there can only be one truth.
Winston!
Stay away from them!
Why can’t you just see that though?
Stay away from them!
You give this up
or you find somewhere else to live!
Winston.
Hey, Rory.
Lucille.
I’m so sorry.
Rory and Kate, the couple studying with us,
kept saying that Jehovah would help.
And I kept saying, “When?”
Jehovah will help you, Winston.
I know, Rory, but what is he waiting for?
I mean, if Jehovah really cares about us,
why doesn’t he help us?
I’m not sure that we can keep doing this.
Do you know who felt exactly
as you feel, Winston?
Elijah.
Elijah, the prophet?
How’s that?
Well, Elijah was so discouraged
because of the opposition that he faced
because of his loyalty to Jehovah
that at one point,
he was so worn out and depressed
that he prayed to Jehovah: “It is enough!”
But you know what Jehovah did for him next?
Let me show you in the Scriptures.
In 1 Kings chapter 19,
and from verse 4: “He said . . .”
Rory helped us to see
how Jehovah strengthened Elijah
to face his enemies.
Learning the truth meant we were cast out
and had to find a new home,
but Elijah learned to wait on Jehovah,
and so did we.
Our district assemblies are near at hand.
Provision has been made for baptism
on the Saturday of the assembly.
Look, Lucie, some bread
and a gift from Rory and Kate.
From that point on,
we didn’t let anything stop us
from coming to know and love Jehovah.
What a special memory!
As each day passed, it got harder to watch.
It was useless turning to our leaders for help.
They served false gods.
Judah had become a den
of false worship, injustice,
and violence.
But Jehovah heard my concerns.
And his answer to my prayer was clear.
I needed to wait.
These were not problems that I alone could fix,
but I still had work to do.
I delivered warnings, yes,
but I also helped others learn that Jehovah
promised brighter times ahead.
What I had the privilege to write down
will help generations to come
by knowing Jehovah will hear
their cries for justice too.
The arrival of so many foreigners
had caused tension
for many years.
Something new and ugly
raises its head in Britain.
And by the 1960’s,
we were living in turbulent times.
Some of the gangs who break windows
or throw bottles
or burn torches have arrived by car.
Opinions differ about . . .
This is an injustice!
Look at all this!
Should bricks be thrown
through our windows
just because we work here, Winston?
Should our people be met with violence in the street
just because of the color of our skin?
You’re just going to let them do this to you?
I want to ‘turn the other cheek,’ Maxwell.
Why?
So they can slap you again?
You need to stand up.
This is the only way.
We can make a difference.
This weighed heavy on my heart.
And then . . .
Hey, what happened?
. . . it struck even closer to home.
My Lucille was horribly mistreated at work
because of the color of her skin.
. . . and he spit in my face.
What?
Enough is enough!
How much more of this do we have to take?
It’s too much, Lucie.
It was hard not to dwell on every slight,
every insult,
hurled at us for no reason.
I couldn’t quiet my mind
until I turned to Jehovah.
Putting trust in him rather than man
was the only way we could endure.
You know, I realized something today.
All this hatred, discrimination—
It is only going to get worse
in these last days, Lucie.
Mm-hmm.
I found a verse for us—Micah 7:7:
“But 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.
My God will hear me.”
Jehovah is the only one who can put an end,
a real end, to suffering.
He hears our prayers.
We just need to wait on him.
Winston, you are right;
you are so right.
Instead of dwelling on every injustice,
I let the ministry give me peace of mind.
<i>Wah gwaan,</i> Winston?
Everything <i>irie,</i> Maxwell.
It’s been a good, good morning.
Is it good?
Did you decide to do something, brother?
Yes.
I know exactly what I’m going to do.
Let me show you how Jehovah
will put an end to injustice.
It hurt,
but it wasn’t a surprise.
Jehovah had told me to marry Gomer,
knowing she would be unfaithful,
just as Jehovah’s people were unfaithful to him.
Even though she left me,
I knew what I had to do.
“Go once again,” Jehovah told me,
“love the woman who is loved by another man
“and is committing adultery,
“just as Jehovah loves the people of Israel
while they turn to other gods.”
But what I did was small
compared to how Jehovah was willing
to take back his people
with open arms.
The major cause of inflation at home, he argued,
was rising world commodity prices
over which Britain had no control.
In the years that followed,
Lucille and I were barely scraping by.
But we had many blessings,
including one named Terence.
I begged Jehovah to help me take good care
of my family,
and that’s when our patience
was tested in a way we never expected.
A friend came to me with a big plan.
He said: “Let’s work together, Winston,
“you and me.
“We’ll get bigger jobs
and earn more money in less time, Winston.”
That sounded like an answer to a prayer,
so we put every penny
we had been saving up
into the new business.
And then, not long after we started, . . .
We’ve been through this, man. Take it, man.
. . . he walked out on me just like that.
Instead of bigger jobs,
I ended up with bigger bills and a lot of debt,
and that wasn’t the worst of it.
In tonight’s reading, we’re going to see how Jehovah . . .
You see,
he wasn’t just my friend,
he was our spiritual brother.
I don’t know.
Maybe I rushed into the whole thing.
No.
Maybe—
No, you don’t need to blame yourself.
What he did to us was wrong.
He did apologize.
After how long?
He turned his back on you, Winston.
The Israelites—
They turned their backs on Jehovah,
and he forgave them again and again.
Well, that is Jehovah.
I am just Lucie Campbell.
My heart is not as big as his.
Your heart is pretty big, Lucie.
But is it big enough for this?
Winston, what are you thinking?
“Keep silent before Jehovah
“and wait longingly for him.
“Do not show yourself heated up
“at anyone making his way successful,
at the man carrying out his ideas.”
“Let anger alone
and leave rage.”
What is it?
“Let anger alone.”
I think this one is for us.
It wasn’t easy to find
the forgiveness in our hearts at first.
But we found it,
and it was worth the wait.
Five simple words changed my life:
“Here I am! Send me!”
And so I went to bring the light
of Jehovah’s message to a darkened world,
but the nation refused to listen.
It was a difficult assignment,
but it wasn’t my only one.
Along with our prophetic work,
my wife and I had another important assignment,
raising our children to love Jehovah.
Jehovah even told me
to take my son Shear-jashub along with me
to deliver a message to the king.
Nothing could diminish the joy
of seeing our children grow to love Jehovah.
‘Our strength would be in keeping calm
and showing trust’ in Him.
As time passed,
things didn’t get easier,
but Jehovah kept us busy.
This <i>Watchtower,</i> you know, is really going to help us.
We had the congregation, of course,
and we were still working hard
to raise Terence to love Jehovah
in a tough environment.
He was growing so fast.
Well, all these significant events . . .
And we were doing our best.
But, you know, not all dangers
come at you with a hostile face.
Terence, you’re one of the best players
in the school,
which is why the county manager
wants you to try out for the program.
Just take the form home; think it over.
You see,
for people like us,
opportunities like this don’t come around every day.
Think about it.
What did you say?
Do what now?
Well, it is to apply for the county youth program.
I mean, Coach says I definitely have what it takes.
Listen, Terence, I know you love to play.
I do too,
but we live a different life.
We can’t let a game
get in the way of more important things.
It’s more than just a game, OK?
There aren’t enough players
who look like me on the pitch.
But what if I can make a difference,
you know, not just for the team but for the community?
It was something we hadn’t heard before.
We didn’t know what was going on inside.
Where is all this coming from?
You guys just don’t understand.
But it gave us a look at the man
he could become without Jehovah.
So we turned to Him
and asked for help to be able to reach Terence’s heart.
I got your favorite in here.
Thanks, Mum.
Have a nice time.
We created more opportunities
to give him the time and space
to express himself from the heart.
You know, like I said, I love the truth,
and there’s nothing that makes me even happier,
but when I play—
You see all these weeds here?
You want to pull one out.
You pull it out,
and another one just pops up where it used to be.
And even though we already had regular family worship,
we dug deeper into God’s Word
and tried hard to make the truth real to him.
“Shear-jashub was old enough in the days of Ahaz
“to accompany his father when Isaiah delivered
a message to that king.”
Wow, I didn’t know this about Isaiah.
He was busy as a prophet,
but they served Jehovah together as a family.
So, um, are you going to take me round
to witness to the prime minister, Dad?
My son,
I would be proud to take you with me anywhere,
starting tomorrow morning for the ministry group at 9:00 a.m.
I knew
the life of a prophet wouldn’t be easy,
but who could have imagined this?
I did all that Jehovah asked to warn my people
of the destruction to come,
but this was not the assignment I expected.
As a child, I dreamed of being a priest
in the temple
like my father.
Now that temple
is just a memory.
But it will not always be that way.
Delivering these powerful messages
of better things to come
has been more than my commission.
It’s been my greatest joy and comfort.
And I can imagine no greater privilege.
Come on, Winston.
You know we have to record this for Terence.
Oh, OK.
OK.
All right, so—
Ready?
Where are we going?
Terence, this is Mum and Dad,
and we’re going to our next build.
My daddy used to tell me,
“Winston, sitting down too much
wears out your trousers.”
Well, I can tell you, we didn’t sit down much.
With Terence married and off pioneering,
we had more time to give to Jehovah, and we loved it.
It was like we were new characters
in this story of our lives.
Then we got two calls that changed our lives.
The first was an invitation
to become international volunteers.
It was just what we were praying for.
We couldn’t wait to start.
And then
we got the second call.
Lucie was going to need treatment right away.
We were scared
and disappointed.
We turned down the assignment.
We had to.
We felt empty.
All we could do
was take it one day at a time.
How do I look?
And before you answer,
remember what the Bible says in Colossians:
“Do not [be lying] to one another.”
You look beautiful, Lucie.
I was just looking in that mirror
and thinking of Ezekiel.
He had to shave his head too,
with a sword,
but for a very different reason.
Lucie.
Lucie!
I’m scared.
I feel like I’ve let you down
and Jehovah too.
Lucie, Lucie.
With your courage and determination,
Jehovah could not be more proud of you
and neither could I.
So let’s keep giving him the best we can together.
Outside of these walls, prophecy was being fulfilled.
Jehovah brought calamity on Jerusalem.
During my confinement,
I had time to reflect
on my years of service to Jehovah.
I was young when Jehovah called me
to be “a prophet to the nations,”
and he commanded me not to marry
or have children during these critical times.
Jehovah gave me difficult assignments,
and I often found myself in dangerous situations.
But every word Jehovah spoke to me
came true.
As the years passed,
I saw the true wisdom of Jehovah’s instruction.
I have no regrets over the sacrifices I made.
Now for our top stories.
Government officials have conceded
that the global economic downturn
is likely to cause a recession here in the UK.
You know, as the decades go by,
you realize the headlines
only repeat themselves,
and the weeds keep growing.
. . . and pension funds.
According to one study,
the average pension fund in our country
has declined by more than 15 percent.
Come on, Winston.
They’ll be here in a minute.
The governor of the Bank of England states . . .
And turn off that television.
It would be easy to become anxious.
“It seems clear that a tough road lies ahead.”
Is that my boy?
That’s why we were glad that Terence and his wife, Gillian,
were serving Jehovah to the full.
They had moved to where the need was greater,
but they always made time to travel up
and see their old parents.
So we’ve got some news.
I’ve been offered a new position at work.
Is that right?
Yep.
They’ve offered more pay,
though I’m going to have to make some adjustments.
I might need to stop pioneering,
but just for a while.
But we really think this is the best decision
because it will help us to be able to help you.
What are you saying now?
No, don’t make a fuss over us.
Mum, please,
let me just say this.
You know, you and Dad
have given so much to Jehovah over the years,
so if you haven’t been able to put away much for the future,
then, please, let us help.
Times are tougher than ever,
and we want you to be comfortable.
You have been through a lot, Lucille.
To hear you say that
makes our hearts so glad.
But, you know,
what you are doing in your ministry—
Now that helps us
to lay our heads softly on our pillows at night.
Yes, we lived a simple life,
but it wasn’t just a circumstance.
It was a choice.
There were chances for us to do things differently,
but we made serving Jehovah
the most important thing in our lives.
We gave Jehovah our best,
knowing that he would take care of us,
not just now, but in the new world too.
So, Terence, Gillian,
the day may come
when we might need your help,
but today is not that day.
We still have some miles left to go.
Well, we’ll pray about it,
and I won’t rush into any decisions.
I know, my son. I know.
I can’t take it; your son sounds just like you.
And what is wrong with that, Miss Lucie?
Nothing at all.
We had no doubt Jehovah
would bless Terence and Gillian’s desire
to live a simple life and give him their best.
I waited many years
for us to return to Judah.
Seeing my brothers and sisters
return home to Jerusalem filled me with joy
and broke my heart.
My broken body was too old to make the journey.
But how could I not be grateful?
I’ve seen kingdoms rise and fall.
And through it all,
Jehovah was by my side,
and he still is.
Jehovah promised that someday
I will stand again among God’s people.
And his promises never fail.
So you see,
I had to learn to be patient,
and it’s only taken me a lifetime.
So there’s no secret.
No secret.
But looking back,
I can see how Jehovah guided us
through each test we faced.
We’re going to be OK, you know, Lucie.
This is the only way.
He taught us that when you’re patient,
you don’t just put up with problems.
You find a way to forgive from the heart.
You make time to build up your family spiritually.
I would be proud to take you with me anywhere.
And you learn to accept disappointments
without feeling bitter
or overwhelmed with anxiety.
But I’ll be honest with you, Thomas.
After all these years, I’m still working on it.
You see, I thought I had
this whole patience thing figured out long ago,
but then I never thought I’d have to do this alone.
I miss her every day.
But there are no shortcuts.
I just have to wait to see her alive again,
and I pray to Jehovah: “Hurry up!
I want to see my Lucille again.”
I’m still learning.
We miss Lucille too.
She was special.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any bad days.
But on those days,
I remember what Jehovah told Daniel.
You know, Daniel was even older than me
when that angel visited him,
probably close to 100.
Read Daniel 10:19.
That’s 10:19:
“Then he said:
“‘Do not be afraid, O very precious man.
“‘May you have peace.
Be strong, yes, be strong.’”
“Be strong.”
I like that.
It doesn’t matter how old we get,
we’re still precious in Jehovah’s eyes,
and we can still be strong for him in our own way.
But part of being strong, Thomas,
is learning to wait on Jehovah.
He’ll do the rest.
He always does.
Come on, Thomas.
It’s time to give this old man a lift home.