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00:00:01 Today, it’s a privilege to address you 00:00:05 —a very precious group of people. 00:00:08 Your journey to this day has not been an easy one. 00:00:12 In this talk, we want to focus on a specific journey 00:00:17 —the one that began when you were invited to Gilead 00:00:19 up to your first day in class. 00:00:23 Because of the lockdown, that journey brought you unexpected trials 00:00:28 unknown to previous classes of Gilead. 00:00:31 Along the way, you said many prayers 00:00:33 and even shed some tears. 00:00:36 But instead of giving into despair (we’re so proud of you), 00:00:40 you became stronger. 00:00:43 Your journey can be compared 00:00:45 to the journey of a Levite, 00:00:48 as described in Psalm 84. 00:00:50 Let’s open our Bibles to Psalm 84. 00:00:55 We’re going to review the man’s musings 00:00:58 as he traveled from his home to Jehovah’s temple 00:01:02 —Psalm 84. 00:01:04 And as we do, we will learn what it means 00:01:07 to find strength in Jehovah 00:01:10 and what will help you to continue to go 00:01:12 “from strength to strength.” 00:01:15 So we can begin at verse 5: 00:01:20 “Happy are the men 00:01:22 who find their strength in you.” 00:01:26 Now, what does this mean? 00:01:29 To find strength means you have to be looking for it. 00:01:33 So we look to Jehovah for strength. 00:01:36 How do we do that? 00:01:38 We do that by prayer and focus. 00:01:43 When we pray, we pray to Jehovah for his holy spirit 00:01:47 and focus on him. 00:01:50 He gives us strength. 00:01:52 Now, at first, this strength may be just enough 00:01:55 to start a difficult journey, 00:01:57 such as you started when you received your invitation to Gilead. 00:02:02 But as the journey continues, you’ll become stronger 00:02:06 if you take the right approach. 00:02:09 Well, what is that approach? 00:02:12 Well, let’s read on, and we’ll go to verse 6: 00:02:17 “When they pass through the Baca Valley, 00:02:20 “they make it into a place of springs; 00:02:23 and the early rain clothes it with blessings.” 00:02:28 There were many routes to travel to get to Jerusalem, 00:02:32 but this Levite speaks of traveling 00:02:34 through the Baca Valley, 00:02:37 and that’s not the scenic route. 00:02:39 The Baca Valley was a dry, 00:02:42 desolate, parched area. 00:02:45 In fact, the word “baca” comes from a Hebrew word to “weep.” 00:02:49 It seems that the baca plant exuded a type of milky sap, 00:02:53 giving the appearance of tears, which added to the gloominess 00:02:57 of this parched land. 00:02:59 There may also have been literal tears shed 00:03:02 as ones made their long journey to Jerusalem. 00:03:06 But notice, notice what this Levite was able to do 00:03:11 as he walked through this valley. 00:03:14 There, he says in verse 6: 00:03:16 “They make it into a place of springs; 00:03:19 and the early rain clothes it with blessings.” 00:03:24 You see, this Levite was so focused 00:03:26 on the joy that he would have worshipping at the temple 00:03:30 that, as he walked through the dry, desolate Baca Valley, 00:03:35 this scenery along the way looked attractive to him. 00:03:39 He was able to look at this dried up valley with eyes of faith 00:03:44 and make it into a place of water springs. 00:03:47 Now, how was that possible? 00:03:50 Well, it’s like when a brother once described 00:03:53 his trip to the house of a sister he was courting. 00:03:57 It involved getting on dirty buses, crowded subways, 00:04:01 and walking past dingy apartments. 00:04:04 But to him, the whole trip was a beautiful scene 00:04:08 because it was taking him to visit her. 00:04:13 Similarly, the Levite of Psalm 84 00:04:16 could see past the gloominess around him 00:04:19 and see Jehovah’s blessings ahead. 00:04:22 He was energized by thinking 00:04:25 about his privilege of actually serving at Jehovah’s temple 00:04:28 to the point where even the Baca Valley was beautiful to him, 00:04:33 because it led to the place 00:04:36 he most wanted to be. 00:04:39 And with that in focus, notice what happens. 00:04:43 Let’s read verse 7: 00:04:47 “They will walk on from strength to strength; 00:04:52 “each one appears before God 00:04:55 in Zion.” 00:04:58 Now, what does that mean —“strength to strength”? 00:05:02 Though the Levite may have entered the valley of tears 00:05:05 weak under the weight of his problems, 00:05:07 love for true worship fueled every step taken. 00:05:12 He knew his service would be noticed by Jehovah, 00:05:16 who would bless his whole-souled effort to serve him. 00:05:20 That was the initial strength from Jehovah that he had. 00:05:25 But when he finally arrived at the temple, 00:05:29 the joy of actually appearing 00:05:32 before Jehovah God —that joy— 00:05:35 and having his approval and blessing 00:05:37 empowered him and it energized him 00:05:41 to walk from the strength that Jehovah initially gives 00:05:45 to even greater strength. 00:05:47 In other words, it made him an even stronger person 00:05:51 than he was before beginning the journey. 00:05:57 Now, for you students, 00:05:59 your journey to Gilead was different from others. 00:06:03 You did not take the scenic route. 00:06:06 But in Jehovah’s strength, 00:06:09 you were able to look beyond the four walls of quarantine, 00:06:13 beyond the lockdown, 00:06:15 beyond the start of class being postponed. 00:06:18 You looked beyond the dry, parched ground of the Baca Valley, 00:06:22 and you saw Jehovah’s blessing on his people. 00:06:26 As the Governing Body gave faithful and discreet direction 00:06:30 to the worldwide brotherhood, you were right here. 00:06:33 You watched it personally. 00:06:36 So though you may have arrived here weakened by your personal trials 00:06:41 after walking through your figurative Baca Valley, 00:06:44 in Jehovah’s strength you came out stronger 00:06:48 and ready to appear —to appear before Jehovah God 00:06:53 to be trained by his organization. 00:06:57 And then, it was finally announced 00:07:01 that the school would start in August. 00:07:05 And I remember —I remember the day 00:07:08 when you walked into the classroom for the first time, 00:07:12 and you sat in your seats, 00:07:14 and you opened up your student binder. 00:07:16 You put your Bible on the desk, 00:07:19 and as you looked up, your eyes revealed, 00:07:22 ‘I made it to my journey.’ 00:07:27 And class began, day after day. 00:07:30 It is noteworthy that, in Jehovah’s strength, 00:07:34 not one of you —not one of you missed a day of class. 00:07:38 That is to your credit. 00:07:40 You wanted to learn every day. 00:07:42 You took advantage of every opportunity. 00:07:45 Thank you for the zeal that you showed. 00:07:49 So, yes, remember the lessons from class. 00:07:53 We know you will. 00:07:56 But, also, remember the lesson from your journey 00:08:00 as you take on new assignments in the future. 00:08:03 See past the challenges along the way; 00:08:07 see past the disappointments; see past the tears. 00:08:11 Turn your Baca Valley into a spring, 00:08:14 and you will become stronger for it. 00:08:18 You can do this through prayer. 00:08:22 You can do this by praying to Jehovah 00:08:25 for his spirit and focusing on him. 00:08:28 Remember that the end goal 00:08:31 is not the assignment in itself. 00:08:34 The assignment is just a means to experience your real goal 00:08:40 of having and maintaining Jehovah’s blessing. 00:08:43 If you prayerfully keep that in focus, 00:08:46 Jehovah will completely change your outlook 00:08:49 regarding the challenges in front of you. 00:08:52 The parched land becomes streams of water. 00:08:55 The tears of pain become tears of joy. 00:08:58 You will see Jehovah make you walk on 00:09:01 “from strength to strength” 00:09:04 —from the initial strength Jehovah gives 00:09:07 to becoming an ever stronger servant of his. 00:09:11 He will empower you not only to walk through the valley of hardships 00:09:16 but you will be that much more ready 00:09:19 for whatever work lies ahead. 00:09:21 You will be in a much better position 00:09:23 to appear before Jehovah your God 00:09:27 and enjoy his favor. 00:09:30 So in conclusion, 00:09:32 take the Baca Valley route through all your challenges. 00:09:37 There is a wise saying: 00:09:39 “A calm sea never made a good sailor.” 00:09:43 Likewise, don’t trade hardships for comfort, 00:09:47 because you will feel a closeness to your heavenly Father 00:09:50 in a way that you never would have experienced 00:09:53 if you hadn’t walked from “strength to strength” 00:09:57 through the valley of Baca.
00:00:01 Today, it’s a privilege to address you 00:00:05 —a very precious group of people. 00:00:08 Your journey to this day has not been an easy one. 00:00:12 In this talk, we want to focus on a specific journey 00:00:17 —the one that began when you were invited to Gilead 00:00:19 up to your first day in class. 00:00:23 Because of the lockdown, that journey brought you unexpected trials 00:00:28 unknown to previous classes of Gilead. 00:00:31 Along the way, you said many prayers 00:00:33 and even shed some tears. 00:00:36 But instead of giving into despair (we’re so proud of you), 00:00:40 you became stronger. 00:00:43 Your journey can be compared 00:00:45 to the journey of a Levite, 00:00:48 as described in Psalm 84. 00:00:50 Let’s open our Bibles to Psalm 84. 00:00:55 We’re going to review the man’s musings 00:00:58 as he traveled from his home to Jehovah’s temple 00:01:02 —Psalm 84. 00:01:04 And as we do, we will learn what it means 00:01:07 to find strength in Jehovah 00:01:10 and what will help you to continue to go 00:01:12 “from strength to strength.” 00:01:15 So we can begin at verse 5: 00:01:20 “Happy are the men 00:01:22 who find their strength in you.” 00:01:26 Now, what does this mean? 00:01:29 To find strength means you have to be looking for it. 00:01:33 So we look to Jehovah for strength. 00:01:36 How do we do that? 00:01:38 We do that by prayer and focus. 00:01:43 When we pray, we pray to Jehovah for his holy spirit 00:01:47 and focus on him. 00:01:50 He gives us strength. 00:01:52 Now, at first, this strength may be just enough 00:01:55 to start a difficult journey, 00:01:57 such as you started when you received your invitation to Gilead. 00:02:02 But as the journey continues, you’ll become stronger 00:02:06 if you take the right approach. 00:02:09 Well, what is that approach? 00:02:12 Well, let’s read on, and we’ll go to verse 6: 00:02:17 “When they pass through the Baca Valley, 00:02:20 “they make it into a place of springs; 00:02:23 and the early rain clothes it with blessings.” 00:02:28 There were many routes to travel to get to Jerusalem, 00:02:32 but this Levite speaks of traveling 00:02:34 through the Baca Valley, 00:02:37 and that’s not the scenic route. 00:02:39 The Baca Valley was a dry, 00:02:42 desolate, parched area. 00:02:45 In fact, the word “baca” comes from a Hebrew word to “weep.” 00:02:49 It seems that the baca plant exuded a type of milky sap, 00:02:53 giving the appearance of tears, which added to the gloominess 00:02:57 of this parched land. 00:02:59 There may also have been literal tears shed 00:03:02 as ones made their long journey to Jerusalem. 00:03:06 But notice, notice what this Levite was able to do 00:03:11 as he walked through this valley. 00:03:14 There, he says in verse 6: 00:03:16 “They make it into a place of springs; 00:03:19 and the early rain clothes it with blessings.” 00:03:24 You see, this Levite was so focused 00:03:26 on the joy that he would have worshipping at the temple 00:03:30 that, as he walked through the dry, desolate Baca Valley, 00:03:35 this scenery along the way looked attractive to him. 00:03:39 He was able to look at this dried up valley with eyes of faith 00:03:44 and make it into a place of water springs. 00:03:47 Now, how was that possible? 00:03:50 Well, it’s like when a brother once described 00:03:53 his trip to the house of a sister he was courting. 00:03:57 It involved getting on dirty buses, crowded subways, 00:04:01 and walking past dingy apartments. 00:04:04 But to him, the whole trip was a beautiful scene 00:04:08 because it was taking him to visit her. 00:04:13 Similarly, the Levite of Psalm 84 00:04:16 could see past the gloominess around him 00:04:19 and see Jehovah’s blessings ahead. 00:04:22 He was energized by thinking 00:04:25 about his privilege of actually serving at Jehovah’s temple 00:04:28 to the point where even the Baca Valley was beautiful to him, 00:04:33 because it led to the place 00:04:36 he most wanted to be. 00:04:39 And with that in focus, notice what happens. 00:04:43 Let’s read verse 7: 00:04:47 “They will walk on from strength to strength; 00:04:52 “each one appears before God 00:04:55 in Zion.” 00:04:58 Now, what does that mean —“strength to strength”? 00:05:02 Though the Levite may have entered the valley of tears 00:05:05 weak under the weight of his problems, 00:05:07 love for true worship fueled every step taken. 00:05:12 He knew his service would be noticed by Jehovah, 00:05:16 who would bless his whole-souled effort to serve him. 00:05:20 That was the initial strength from Jehovah that he had. 00:05:25 But when he finally arrived at the temple, 00:05:29 the joy of actually appearing 00:05:32 before Jehovah God —that joy— 00:05:35 and having his approval and blessing 00:05:37 empowered him and it energized him 00:05:41 to walk from the strength that Jehovah initially gives 00:05:45 to even greater strength. 00:05:47 In other words, it made him an even stronger person 00:05:51 than he was before beginning the journey. 00:05:57 Now, for you students, 00:05:59 your journey to Gilead was different from others. 00:06:03 You did not take the scenic route. 00:06:06 But in Jehovah’s strength, 00:06:09 you were able to look beyond the four walls of quarantine, 00:06:13 beyond the lockdown, 00:06:15 beyond the start of class being postponed. 00:06:18 You looked beyond the dry, parched ground of the Baca Valley, 00:06:22 and you saw Jehovah’s blessing on his people. 00:06:26 As the Governing Body gave faithful and discreet direction 00:06:30 to the worldwide brotherhood, you were right here. 00:06:33 You watched it personally. 00:06:36 So though you may have arrived here weakened by your personal trials 00:06:41 after walking through your figurative Baca Valley, 00:06:44 in Jehovah’s strength you came out stronger 00:06:48 and ready to appear —to appear before Jehovah God 00:06:53 to be trained by his organization. 00:06:57 And then, it was finally announced 00:07:01 that the school would start in August. 00:07:05 And I remember —I remember the day 00:07:08 when you walked into the classroom for the first time, 00:07:12 and you sat in your seats, 00:07:14 and you opened up your student binder. 00:07:16 You put your Bible on the desk, 00:07:19 and as you looked up, your eyes revealed, 00:07:22 ‘I made it to my journey.’ 00:07:27 And class began, day after day. 00:07:30 It is noteworthy that, in Jehovah’s strength, 00:07:34 not one of you —not one of you missed a day of class. 00:07:38 That is to your credit. 00:07:40 You wanted to learn every day. 00:07:42 You took advantage of every opportunity. 00:07:45 Thank you for the zeal that you showed. 00:07:49 So, yes, remember the lessons from class. 00:07:53 We know you will. 00:07:56 But, also, remember the lesson from your journey 00:08:00 as you take on new assignments in the future. 00:08:03 See past the challenges along the way; 00:08:07 see past the disappointments; see past the tears. 00:08:11 Turn your Baca Valley into a spring, 00:08:14 and you will become stronger for it. 00:08:18 You can do this through prayer. 00:08:22 You can do this by praying to Jehovah 00:08:25 for his spirit and focusing on him. 00:08:28 Remember that the end goal 00:08:31 is not the assignment in itself. 00:08:34 The assignment is just a means to experience your real goal 00:08:40 of having and maintaining Jehovah’s blessing. 00:08:43 If you prayerfully keep that in focus, 00:08:46 Jehovah will completely change your outlook 00:08:49 regarding the challenges in front of you. 00:08:52 The parched land becomes streams of water. 00:08:55 The tears of pain become tears of joy. 00:08:58 You will see Jehovah make you walk on 00:09:01 “from strength to strength” 00:09:04 —from the initial strength Jehovah gives 00:09:07 to becoming an ever stronger servant of his. 00:09:11 He will empower you not only to walk through the valley of hardships 00:09:16 but you will be that much more ready 00:09:19 for whatever work lies ahead. 00:09:21 You will be in a much better position 00:09:23 to appear before Jehovah your God 00:09:27 and enjoy his favor. 00:09:30 So in conclusion, 00:09:32 take the Baca Valley route through all your challenges. 00:09:37 There is a wise saying: 00:09:39 “A calm sea never made a good sailor.” 00:09:43 Likewise, don’t trade hardships for comfort, 00:09:47 because you will feel a closeness to your heavenly Father 00:09:50 in a way that you never would have experienced 00:09:53 if you hadn’t walked from “strength to strength” 00:09:57 through the valley of Baca.
