The apostle Paul needed help. About 56 C.E., a crowd dragged him outside the temple in Jerusalem and tried to kill him. The next day, when Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin, he was almost torn apart by his enemies. (Acts 21:30-32; 22:30; 23:6-10) At that point, Paul may have wondered, ‘How much longer can I endure this treatment?’ What help did Paul receive? The night after Paul was arrested, “the Lord,” Jesus, stood by him and said: “Take courage! For just as you have been giving a thorough witness about me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.” (Acts 23:11) What timely encouragement! Jesus commended Paul for the witness he had given in Jerusalem. And he promised that Paul would safely reach Rome, where he would give a further witness. After receiving that assurance, Paul must have felt as secure as a child nestled in his father’s arms. w20.11 12 ¶1, 3; 13 ¶4

Our Kingdom hope serves “as an anchor for the soul,” giving us stability despite challenging circumstances or anxious thoughts. Meditate on Jehovah’s promise of a future in which negative thoughts will be gone. (Isa. 65:17) Picture yourself in the peaceful new world, where distressing situations will no longer exist. (Mic. 4:4) You will also strengthen your hope as you share it with others. Do all you can in the preaching and disciple-making work. If you do, you can “have the full assurance of the hope down to the end.” (Heb. 6:11) As this system of things comes to its end, we will experience more challenges that could produce anxious thoughts. We will be able to face those challenges and remain calm, not in our own strength, but through our trust in Jehovah. Let us show by our actions that we have faith in Jehovah’s promise: “Your strength will be in keeping calm and showing trust.”​—Isa. 30:15. w21.01 7 ¶17-18

Note that James 5:11 links Jehovah’s tender affection to another quality that draws us to him​—his mercy. (Ex. 34:6) One way in which Jehovah shows us mercy is by forgiving us for the mistakes we make. (Ps. 51:1) In the Bible, mercy involves much more than forgiveness. Mercy is an intense feeling that springs from inside a person when he or she sees someone in distress and is moved to try to help the person. Jehovah describes the intense desire he has to help us as being greater than the feelings that a mother has for her child. (Isa. 49:15) When we are in distress, Jehovah’s mercy moves him to help us. (Ps. 37:39; 1 Cor. 10:13) We can show mercy to our brothers and sisters by forgiving them and not holding a grudge when they disappoint us. (Eph. 4:32) But a primary way we can show mercy is by supporting our brothers and sisters through the hardships they face. Thus we imitate Jehovah, the supreme example of tender affection.​—Eph. 5:1. w21.01 21 ¶5