How did wholesome fear affect Obadiah? For one thing, it made him honest and trustworthy; hence, the king put him in charge of the royal household. (Compare Nehemiah 7:2.) Obadiah’s godly fear also gave him extraordinary courage​—a quality that he surely needed. He lived during the reign of wicked King Ahab. (1 Ki. 16:30) Also, Ahab’s Baal-worshipping wife, Jezebel, hated Jehovah so much that she tried to wipe out true worship in the northern kingdom. She even killed many of God’s prophets. (1 Ki. 18:4) When Jezebel began hunting down God’s prophets to put them to death, Obadiah took 100 of them and hid them “by groups of 50 in a cave and kept supplying them bread and water.” (1 Ki. 18:13, 14) If discovered, courageous Obadiah would surely have been executed. Of course, Obadiah was human, and he did not want to die. But Obadiah loved Jehovah and those who served Him more than he loved his own life. w23.06 16 ¶9-10

Jehovah continues to lead his people today as he did in the past. He has been doing so by means of his Word and his Son, the head of the congregation. Can we see evidence that God has also continued to use human representatives? Yes. Consider, for example, certain developments that took place in the late 1800’s. Charles Taze Russell and his associates began to discern that the year 1914 would mark a turning point regarding the establishment of God’s Kingdom. (Dan. 4:25, 26) In reaching that conclusion, they depended on Bible prophecy. Was Jehovah guiding their Bible research? He clearly was. In 1914 world events confirmed that God’s Kingdom had begun to rule. World War I broke out, followed by pestilences, earthquakes, and food shortages. (Luke 21:10, 11) Jehovah was indeed using those sincere Christian men to help his people. w24.02 22 ¶11

As Jehovah’s people, we know that he loves us and that he wants us to enjoy the best life possible. (Rom. 8:35-39) We are also convinced that Bible principles always benefit us when we apply them. (Isa. 48:17, 18) What, though, if we face challenges that we did not expect? For example, a family member might disappoint us in some way. We may have serious health issues that limit what we can do in Jehovah’s service. We might experience the devastating effects of a natural disaster. Or we may be persecuted for our beliefs. When we face such trials, we may wonder: ‘Why is this happening to me? Have I done something wrong? Does this indicate that Jehovah is not blessing me?’ Have you ever felt that way? If so, do not be discouraged. Many of Jehovah’s loyal servants have struggled with similar feelings.​—Ps. 22:1, 2; Hab. 1:2, 3. w23.04 14 ¶1-2