Bible Society of South Africa
Dithulaganyo tša go bala
Pentecost
Pentecost – Day 3 (27 June)
Gerhard Lindeque

Pentecost – Day 3 (27 June)

God’s Spirit leads us to pray

(Di)temana ya Bibele

JONA 1

17Morena a dira gore Jona a metšwe ke hlapi ye kgolo, mme a ba ka gare ga yona matšatši a mararo le mašego a ona.

JONA 2

Thapelo ya Jona

1Ke moo Jona a rapetšego Morena Modimo wa gagwe a le ka teng ga hlapi a re:

2“Ge ke le tlalelong, Morena,

ke go biditše,

mme wa nkaraba.

Ke lletše go wena ke le fasefase bodulabahu,

mme wa nkwa.

3O be o ntahletše fasefase maleng a lewatle,

mme ka dikanetšwa ke meetse,

ka ribegetšwa ke maphoto a gago.

4Ka ba ka gopola gore ke raketšwe sa ruri pele ga sefahlego sa gago,

mme nka se tsoge ke bone

Tempele ya gago ye kgethwa gape.

5Meetse a nkhupetša a mpeta;

lewatle la mpipetša,

mme malele a ntata hlogo.

6Ke be ke theogetše fasefase medung ya dithaba,

nageng yeo ke ilego ka tswalelelwa sa ruri ka gare ka mapheko.

Eupša wena, Morena, Modimo wa ka,

o nntšhitše moo fasefase ke sa phela.

7Ge ke ekwa gore moya wa ka o nyaka go tšwa nameng,

ka go gopola, Morena,

ka go rapela,

mme wa nkwa o le ka Tempeleng ya gago ye kgethwa.

8Bao ba khunamelago medimo ya diswantšho ya lefeela

ba tlogetše go go botegela.

9Eupša nna ke tla go opelela ditumišo;

ke tla go direla sehlabelo,

mme ka phetha seo ke go tshephišitšego sona.

Tlhakodišo e tšwa go Morena.”

10Ya ba gona Morena a laelago hlapi yela gore e hlatše Jona lebopong, mme ya mo hlatša.

JONA 1:17-2:10NSO00Bula go Mmadi wa Bibele

It is a sad truth, but we mainly pray in times of trouble and disaster. We often realise our dependence on God when we are in distress. I personally experienced this again when I spent seven hours, in an ambulance, on my way to the hospital for an emergency operation. During this trip, quite a few scriptures from the Bible were running through my head, like this passage where Jonah cries out to God from the fish’s belly: “In my trouble I called to the LORD; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help” (Jonah 2:2).

The narrator of Jonah’s story paints a picture of someone who cries out to the Lord from the deepest depths and, yet, experiences the most miraculous power and presence of God, because it is not our need that teaches us to pray – it is God’s Spirit. Through his Spirit, God is present everywhere. God is always with us – he is not limited to time or space. Jonah had to learn this first. It does not help to try to run away from God. We need God in our lives. We cannot live without him.

The purpose of prayer is not to twist God’s arm to help us. Prayer is really just a confession to remind ourselves of our dependence on God. As Jonah indeed confesses: Help comes from the Lord alone. Once he realises this, the fish spits him out. In other words, it is like he is born again and given a second chance at life. The presence of God’s Spirit in our lives makes us new people who can prayerfully confess our dependence on God.

Bible Society of South Africav.4.27.6
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