Bible Society of South Africa

Hope through Prayer – 28 January 2020

Neville Turley

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

BAFILIPI 4

6Se ngongoreheng ka letho, empa tsohle tseo le di hlokang le di hlahise ho Modimo ka thapelo le kopo e nang le teboho. 7Kgotso ya Modimo, e fetang kutlwisiso yohle, e tla boloka dipelo tsa lona le mehopolo ya lona ho Kreste Jesu.

BAFILIPI 4:6-7SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

MATHEU 7

Kopang, batlang, kokotang

7“Kopang, le tla fuwa; batlang, le tla fumana; kokotang, le tla bulelwa, 8hobane mang kapa mang ya kopang o a fuwa, ya batlang o a fumana, mme ya kokotang o a bulelwa.

9“Ekaba ke mang ho lona, eo ekareng ha mora wa hae a mo kopa bohobe, yaba o mo fa lejwe? 10Kapa ha a mo kopa tlhapi, ebe o mo fa noha? 11Ha ho le jwalo, ha lona ba kgopo le tseba ho fana ka tse molemo ho bana ba lona, Ntata lona ya mahodimong o tla fana haholo hakaakang ka tse molemo ho ba mo kopang?

MATHEU 7:7-11SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

Pesalema 40

Teboho ya motho ya thusitsweng ke Modimo

1Pesalema ya Davida, e qapetsweng motsamaisi wa dibini.

Pesalema 40:1SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

JAKOBO 5

17Elia e ne e le motho jwaloka rona. Empa o kile a rapela ka matla hore pula e se ke ya na, mme ya se ke ya na lefatsheng leo ka dilemo tse tharo le dikgwedi tse tsheletseng. 18A boela a rapela, yaba lehodimo le nesa pula, mme lefatshe la medisa dijalo.

JAKOBO 5:17-18SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

2 BAKORINTHE 12

7Hore ke se tshohe ke ikgantsha ka baka la boholo ba tseo ke di senolotsweng, ke hlabilwe ka moutlwa mmeleng, e leng moromuwa wa Satane, hore a nne a ntjabele, esere ka ikgantsha. 8Ke rapetse Morena hararo hore ntho ena e tlohe ho nna, 9empa a re ho nna: “Mohau wa ka o o lekane, hobane matla a ka a phethahala ka ba fokolang.” Ha ho le jwalo, ke tla ithorisa ka bofokodi ba ka ka thabo e kgolo, hore matla a Kreste a tle a be ho nna. 10Ka baka leo, ke thabela bofokodi, mahlapa, ditsietsi, ditlhoriso, le mahlomola, ka baka la Kreste, hobane ha ke fokola, eba ke hona ha ke le matla.

2 BAKORINTHE 12:7-10SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

LUKA 1

13Empa lengeloi la re ho yena: “Se tshabe, Sakariya, hobane thapelo ya hao e utlwilwe, mohatsa hao Elisabetha o tla o tswalla mora, mme o tla mo rea lebitso la Johanne. 14E tla ba thabo le nyakallo ho wena, mme ba bangata ba tla thabela tswalo ya hae, 15hobane o tla ba moholo pela Morena; ha a ka ke a nwa veine leha e le seno se tahang, mme o tla tlala Moya o Halalelang a sa le popelong ya mmae. 16O tla sokollela ba bangata ba bana ba Iseraele ho Morena Modimo wa bona. 17O tla etella Morena pele ka moya le ka matla a kang a Elia, ho boelanya dipelo tsa bo-ntata le bana ba bona, le ba sa utlweng, maikutlong a ba lokileng, ho lokisetsa Morena setjhaba se mo lokelang.”

LUKA 1:13-17SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele
Ho na le ho bileng phoso

Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (GNT)

Prayer played a vital part in the life of our Lord. It should be an integral part of our life too.  Our Lord told us that when we approach the throne of grace, seeking and searching God’s guidance and help, we would be blessed. (Matthew 7:7-11)

But how should we pray? David had the right attitude when he was in distress: “I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then he listened to me and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1) Too often when we pray we expect God to immediately grant what we want. However God has his own timetable and it’s his will not ours that prevails.

God answers every prayer in one of three ways – yes, no and when the time is right.

Yes, as in the case of Elijah the prophet: “He prayed earnestly that there would be no rain, and no rain fell on the land for three and a half years. Once again he prayed, and the sky poured out its rain and the earth produced its crops.”(James 5:17-18)

No, as in the case of Paul: Three times he prayed to God to remove the “thorn in the flesh”that was tormenting him and hindering his ministry. Instead God granted Paul grace to bear his suffering in order to experience the protection of Christ’s power over him. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

When the time is right, as in the case of the priest, Zachariah and Elizabeth.  For many years they prayed for a child. When they were old, the angel, Gabriel, brought them the news; they would have a son who would be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth and pave the way for the Lord. (Luke 1:13-17)

God is a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God to whom we can make our needs known. When we pray we enter into the divine presence of God. There we can confess our sins and he will forgive us and purify us from all our wrongdoings. Read 1 John 1-9.

Paul urged the church at Thessalonica to “pray at all times”, we should too.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the hope we have in prayer and help us to remain in constant dialogue with you. Amen

Bible Society of South Africav.4.26.9
RE FUMANE HO