Kepha Noma Kungenjalo …

Ngisengumfana, ngabuya ekhaya emuva komdlalo webhola lomnqakiswano webanga lesishiyagalombili ngiphansi, ngijabhile, futhi ngididekile. Ngazithola sengithi kumama wami, “Angazi ukuthi kungani sihluliwe—benginethemba lokuthi sizophumelela!”

Manje sengiyabona ukuthi ngaleso sikhathi ngangingazi ukuthi ukholo luyini na.

Ukholo akusikona ukuzishaya isifuba, akusona isifiso nje, akulona ithemba nje. Ukholo lweqiniso wukholo eNkosini uJesu Kristu—ukwethemba uJesu Kristu okuhola umuntu ukuba amulandele.¹

Eminyakeni engamakhulu edlule, uDanyeli nabalingani bakhe abancane bavele baphonswa emhlabeni besuka lapho kuphephe khona—emhlabeni ababengawazi futhi owawusabisa. Ngesikhathi uShadirakhi, uMeshakhi, no-Abhedi Nego benqaba ukukhulekela isithombe segolide esasimiswe yinkosi, uNebukhadinezari owayediniwe wabatshela ukuthi uma bengeke bekhuleke njengoba babeyaliwe, babezophoswa emlilweni. “Ngumuphi lowo Nkulunkulu oyakunikhulula ezandleni zami na?”²

Laba bafana abathathu baphendula ngokushesha nangokuzethemba, “Uma kunjalo [uma usiphonsa emlilweni], uNkulunkulu wethu esimkhonzayo unamandla okusikhulula esithandweni somlilo ovuthayo; yebo, uyakusikhulula esandleni sakho.” Lokho kuzwakala njengokholo lwami lwebanga lesishiyagalombili. Kepha base bekhombisa ukuthi babeqondisisa ngokuphelele ukuthi ukholo luyini na. Baqhubeka, “Kepha noma kungenjalo, … asiyikukhonza onkulunkulu bakho, ngeke sakhuleka esithombeni segolide osimisileyo.”³ Lowo umusho wokholo lweqiniso.

Babazi ukuthi bangamethemba uNkulunkulu—noma ngabe izinto zingenzeki ngendlela ababeyithembile.⁴ Babazi ukuthi ukholo lukhulu kunokuba yinto yomqondo, lukhulu kunokuvuma ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyaphila. Ukholo ukumethemba ngokuphelele.

Ukholo ukukholwa ukuthi noma singaqondi zonke izinto, Yena uyaziqonda. Ukholo ukwazi ukuthi noma amandla ethu ephela, Awakhe awapheli neze. Ukholo kuJesu Kristu kubandakanye ukuthembela kuye ngokuphelele.

UShadirakhi, uMeshakhi, no-Abhedi Nego babazi ukuthi bengathembela njalo Kuye ngoba babelazi isu Lakhe, futhi babazi ukuthi akashintshi.⁵ Babazi, njengoba nathi sazi, ukuthi ukufa akulona iphutha lemvelo. Yisiqephu esifishane salelisu elikhulu⁶ likaBaba oseZulwini osithandayo lokwenza thina, amadodana namadodakazi Akhe, sikwazi ukuthola izibusiso ezifanayo azijabulelayo, uma sifuna.

Babazi, njengoba nathi sazi, ukuthi empilweni eyandulela eyasemhlabeni, safundiswa Nguye ngenhloso yempilo yasemhlabeni: “Sizokwenza umhlaba okuzohlala kuwo laba; Futhi sizobavivinya ngalendlela, ukuze sibone ukuthi ngabe bazozenza zonke izinto noma yini iNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo eyobayala ngazo.”⁷

Ngakho-ke—yisivivinyo. Umhlaba yindawo yokuvivinywa kwabesilisa kanye nabesifazane. Ngesikhathi siqonda ukuthi konke kuyisivivinyo, esenziwa uBaba oseZulwini, ofuna sithembele Kuye nokuthi simudedele asisize, sibona yonke into ngokucacile kunakuqala.

Umsebenzi Wakhe kanye nenkazimulo Yakhe, wasitshela, “ukufeza ukungafi nokuphila okuphakade komuntu.”⁸ Yena usebutholile ubunkulunkulu. Manje injongo Yakhe kuphela ukuba asisize—ukuthi sikwazi ukubuyela Kuye futhi sibe njengaye futhi siphile impilo efana neYakhe ingunaphakade.

Ngoba bazi konke lokhu, bekungalukhuni ukuba lamaHeberu amathathu amancane athathe isinqumo sabo. Babezolandela uNkulunkulu; babezokhombisa ukholo Kuye. Wayezobakhulula, kepha noma kungenjalo—futhi siyayazi indaba eyalandela.

INkosi isinikeze ilungelo lokuzikhethela, ilungelo kanye nomthwalo wokuthatha isinqumo.⁹ Uyasivivinya ngokusidedela sibe nezinkinga. Usinikeza isiqiniseko sokuthi angeke asiyekele sihlupheke noma silingeke ngaphezulu kwamandla ethu okumelana nalokho.¹⁰ Kepha kumele siqondisise ukuthi izinkinga ezinkulu zakha abantu abakhulu. Asibucingi ubunzima, kepha uma siphendula ngokholo, iNkosi izosiqinisa. Ukusho ukuthi kepha noma kungenjalo kungaphenduka izibusiso eziningi.

UmPhostoli uPawulu wafunda lesi sifundo esibalulekile, emuva kweminyaka yomsebenzi wokufundisa ivangeli “Sizibonga nangezinhlupheko … ngokwazi ukuthi ukuhlupheka kuveza ukukhuthazela; ukukhuthazela kuveza ukuqiniseka, ukuqiniseka kuveza ithemba; ithemba alijabhisi.”¹¹

UMsindisi wamunikeza isiqiniseko wathi, “Umusa wami ukwanele; ngokuba amandla ami apheleliswa ebuthakathakeni.”¹²

UPawulu waphendula: “Ngakho kunalokho ngijabulela ukuzibonga ngobuthakathaka bami, ukuze amandla kaKristu ahlale phezu kwami. … Ngenamile ebuthakathakeni, nasekuphathweni kabi, nasekusweleni, nasekuzingelweni, nasekubandezekeni ngenxa kaKristu, ngokuba uma ngibuthakathaka, yikhona nginamandla.¹³ Ngesikhathi uPawulu ebhekana nezinkinga zakhe ngendlela yeNkosi, ukholo lwakhe lakhula.

“Ngokukholwa u-Abrahama evivinywa wanikela ngo-Isaka.”¹⁴ U-Abrahama, ngenxa yokholo lwakhe oluningi, wathenjiswa inzalo eningi kunezinkanyezi ezisezulwini, nokuthi leyo nzalo yayizobakhona ngo-Isaka. Kepha u-Abrahama walalela umyalelo weNkosi ngaleso sikhathi. UNkulunkulu wayezogcina isethembiso Sakhe, kepha noma kungenjalo ngendlela u-Abrahama ayeyilindele, wayesamuthemba ngokuphelele.

Abantu benza izinto ezimangalisayo ngokuthemba iNkosi nokugcina imiyalelo Yayo—ngokukhombisa ukholo noma bengazi ukuthi iNkosi ibakha kanjani.

“Ngokukholwa uMose … wala ukubizwa ngokuthi indodana yendodakazi kaFaro;

“Kunalokho wakhetha ukuphathwa kabi kanye nabantu bakaNkulunkulu, kunokuba athokoze isikhashana esonweni;

“Ethi ukuthukwa ngenxa kaKristu kuyimfuyo enkulu kunengcebo yaseGibithe. …

“Ngokukholwa washiya iGibithe, engesabi ulaka lwenkosi. …

“Ngokukholwa badabula ulwandle Olubomvu kungathi kusemhlabathini owomileyo. …

“Ngokukholwa izingange zaseJeriko zawa.”¹⁵

Abanye “ngokukholwa banqoba imibuso, … bazuza izithembiso, bavimba imilomo yezingonyama,

“Bacima amandla omlilo, baphepha osikweni lwenkemba, baphiwa amandla ebuthakathakeni, baba yiziqhwaga empini.”¹⁶

Kepha phakathi kwalemiphumela yodumo eyayithenjiwe futhi ilindelwe yilabo ababebambe iqhaza, kwakuhlezi kukhona okwakuthi kepha noma kungenjalo:

“Abanye balingwa ngokujivazwa nokushaywa, … nokuboshwa nokufakwa etilongweni:

“Bakhandwa ngamatshe, banqunywa ngesaha, balingwa, babulawa ngenkemba, bazulazula … beswela, behlushwa, bephathwa kabi; … ¹⁷

“Ngokuba uNkulunkulu wayesebabonele okuhle ezinhluphekweni zabo, ngokuba ngaphandle kwezinhlupheko babengenakupheleliswa.”¹⁸

Imibhalo engcwele yethu kanye nomlando wethu kugcwele izindaba zamadoda nabesimame abakhulu baNkulunkulu abakholwa ukuthi Wayezobakhulula, kepha noma kungenjalo, bakhombisa ukuthi babezothemba futhi babe neqiniso.

Unawo amandla, kepha isivivinyo esethu.

Yikuphi lokhu iNkosi ekulindele kithi mayelana nezinkinga zethu na? Ilindele ukuba senze konke esikwazi ukukwenza. Yena wenza lokho okusele. UNefi wathi, “Ngokuba siyazi ukuthi kungumusa ukuthi sisindiswe, emva kwakho konke esingakwenza.”¹⁹

Kumele sibe nokholo olufanayo noShadirakhi, uMeshakhi, no-Abhedi Nego.

UNkulunkulu wethu uzosikhulula ekugconweni nasekushushisweni, kepha noma kungenjalo. … UNkulunkulu wethu uzosikhulula ekuguleni nasezifweni, kepha noma kungenjalo … . Uzosikhulula kwisizungu, ukudabuka, noma ukwesaba, kepha noma kungenjalo. … UNkulunkulu wethu uzosikhulula kusongelo, ukubekwa icala, nokungaphatheki kahle, kepha noma kungenjalo. … Uzosikhulula ekufeni noma ekulimaleni kwalabo esibathandayo, kepha noma kungenjalo, … sizoyethemba iNkosi.

UNkulunkulu wethu uzoqinisekisa ukuthi sithola ukulunga nokufanelekile, kepha noma kungenjalo. … Uzoqinisekisa ukuthi siyathandwa futhi siyabonwa, kepha noma kungenjalo. … Sizothola umlingani ophelele du nolungile kanye nabantwana abalungile, kepha noma kungenjalo, … sizoba nethemba eNkosini uJesu Kristu, sazi ukuthi uma senza konke esingakwazi ukukwenza, ngesikhathi Sakhe nangendlela Yakhe, sizokhululwa futhi sithole konke Yena anakho.²⁰ Ngiyafakaza ngalokhu egameni likaJesu Kristu, amen.