🌱 Teolojia ya Vitendo — Sehemu ya 4: Maombi I — Maombi ni Nini🌱 Practical Theology — Unit 4: Prayer I — What Prayer Is

Utangulizi: Katikati ya Muda Wetu Pamoja na MunguIntroduction: At the Center of Our Time with God

Tumejifunza kutembea pamoja na Mungu na kushika muda wa kila siku pamoja naye. Katikati ya muda huo kuna maombi. Lakini maombi ni nini hasa? Wengi huyafikiria kuwa ni kumwomba Mungu vitu tu, na wengine kuwa ni kusema maneno fulani ya kidini. Ni zaidi sana ya hayo yote mawili. Katika sehemu hii tunauliza maswali matatu: maombi ni nini, Bwana Yesu alitufundishaje kuomba, na Biblia inatupa aina gani za maombi? Sehemu inayofuata itatupeleka mbele zaidi — katika maombi ndani ya Maandiko, kuomba pamoja kama kanisa, na kufunga.We have learned to walk with God and to keep a daily time with Him. At the center of that time is prayer. But what is prayer, really? Many think of it as simply asking God for things, and others as the saying of certain religious words. It is far more than either. In this unit we ask three questions: what is prayer, how did the Lord Jesus teach us to pray, and what kinds of prayer does the Bible give us? The next unit will carry us further — into prayer in Scripture, praying together as a church, and fasting.

I. Maombi ni Nini — Zaidi ya Mazungumzo, Lakini Kama MazungumzoI. What Prayer Is — More Than a Conversation, Yet Like One

Wengine husema maombi ni mazungumzo tu. Ni zaidi sana ya hayo. Dkt. Ted Rogers, anayefundisha kozi ya maombi katika kanisa letu, anatoa ufafanuzi huu wa makini: maombi ni kuanzisha mawasiliano na Mungu kwa kusudi la maombezi, dua, sifa, maungamo, na shukrani, kwa nia ya kuabudu — mawasiliano yanayotuvuta karibu zaidi na Mungu na, kwa wakati huo, hata yanayotuweka mahali pa mtu anayesimama mbele zake kwa ajili ya wengine. Angalia mambo matatu katika ufafanuzi huo. Maombi yanaanzishwa na sisi kuelekea kwa Mungu: si kuimba-imba maneno, wala kuishukuru "ulimwengu," wala kuzungumza na kitu chochote kilichoumbwa, kwa maana ulimwengu umeumbwa lakini Mungu yupo kwa nafsi yake mwenyewe. Tayari katika siku za Enoshi "watu walianza kuliitia jina la BWANA" (Mwanzo 4:26, SUV). Maombi yanaelekezwa kwa Mungu, kwa nia ya kuabudu. Na maombi yanatubadilisha tunapoomba.Some say prayer is simply a conversation. It is much more than that. Dr. Ted Rogers, who teaches a course on prayer at our church, offers this careful definition: prayer is to initiate communication with God for the purpose of intercession, supplication, praise, confession, and thanksgiving, with worshipful intent — communication that draws us closer to God and, for that moment, even sets us in the place of one who stands before Him for others. Notice three things in that definition. Prayer is initiated by us toward God: it is not chanting, nor thanking "the universe," nor speaking to any created thing, for the universe is made but God is self-existent. Already in the days of Enosh "men began to call on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26, NKJV). Prayer is directed to God, with worshipful intent. And prayer changes us as we pray.

Hata hivyo, ingawa maombi ni zaidi sana ya mazungumzo tu, yamekusudiwa kuendeshwa kama mazungumzo — kama mazungumzo kati ya marafiki. Tukimfikiria Bwana Yesu ameketi kitini mbele yetu, hatungetafuta maneno magumu, ya kubuniwa; tungezungumza naye waziwazi, kama na rafiki anayetupenda. (Inafaa kukumbuka kwamba Biblia ya King James ilipoandikwa, "thee, thy, na thou" yalikuwa maneno ya kila siku, ya kawaida, ilhali "you" ilikuwa lugha rasmi ya wafalme. Leo hali hiyo imegeuka — lakini wengi wetu bado tunatafuta maneno ya zamani, yanayosikika rasmi, tunapoomba, kana kwamba Mungu anapendelea lugha maalumu ya kidini. Hapendelei. Zungumza naye kwa uaminifu, kwa maneno yako mwenyewe.) Na kwa sababu maombi ni aina ya mazungumzo, ni lazima pia tusikilize. "Tulieni, mjue ya kuwa mimi ni Mungu" (Zaburi 46:10, SUV). Usiogope ukimya katika maombi; huenda Mungu Mwenyewe wakati huo anazungumza nawe.Yet though prayer is far more than mere conversation, it is meant to be carried on like one — like a conversation between friends. If we pictured the Lord Jesus sitting in a chair before us, we would not reach for stiff, artificial words; we would speak to Him plainly, as to a friend who loves us. (It is worth remembering that when the King James Bible was written, "thee, thy, and thou" were the everyday, informal words, while "you" was the formal speech of royalty. Today that is reversed — yet many of us still reach for old, formal-sounding words when we pray, as though God preferred a special religious language. He does not. Speak to Him honestly, in your own words.) And because prayer is a kind of conversation, we must also listen. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10, NKJV). Do not be afraid of silence in prayer; God Himself may at that moment be speaking to you.

II. Jinsi Yesu Alivyotufundisha Kuomba: Sala ya BwanaII. How Jesus Taught Us to Pray: The Lord's Prayer

Wanafunzi wake walipotaka kujifunza kuomba, Yesu aliwapa kielelezo. Alikuwa ametoka kuonya, "Nanyi mkiomba, msipayukepayuke kama watu wa mataifa" (Mathayo 6:7, SUV) — kwa hiyo Sala ya Bwana si mkusanyiko wa maneno ya kichawi ya kurudiwa-rudiwa bila kufikiri, bali ni kielelezo cha kufuata. "Basi ninyi salini hivi: Baba yetu uliye mbinguni, Jina lako litukuzwe. Ufalme wako uje. Mapenzi yako yatimizwe, hapa duniani kama huko mbinguni. Utupe leo riziki yetu. Utusamehe deni zetu, kama sisi nasi tuwasamehevyo wadeni wetu. Na usitutie majaribuni, lakini utuokoe na yule mwovu" (Mathayo 6:9–13, SUV).When His disciples wanted to learn to pray, Jesus gave them a model. He had just warned, "when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do" (Matthew 6:7, NKJV) — so the Lord's Prayer is not a set of magic words to be repeated mechanically, but a pattern to follow. "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:9–13, NKJV).

Ipitie polepole. "Baba yetu" inatumia neno abba, neno la kifamilia la ukaribu kabisa la siku zile — tunakuja kama mtoto anayeamini kwa baba mwenye upendo; lakini "Jina lako litukuzwe" inatukumbusha kwamba yeye ni mtakatifu, aliyetengwa, wa kipekee kabisa. Ukaribu na uchaji vimeshikwa pamoja. "Ufalme wako uje, Mapenzi yako yatimizwe" — kabla hatujaomba chochote kwa ajili yetu wenyewe, tunautanguliza ufalme wa Mungu na mapenzi yake. "Utupe leo riziki yetu" — sasa tu, katikati ya sala, linakuja ombi la kwanza kwa ajili yetu wenyewe, na hata hilo linatufundisha kumtegemea Mungu kama Mpaji wetu siku kwa siku. "Utusamehe deni zetu, kama sisi nasi tuwasamehevyo wadeni wetu" — deni zetu ni dhambi zetu, na kusamehewa kwetu kumefungamana na kuwasamehe kwetu wengine. "Usitutie majaribuni, lakini utuokoe" — ombi kwamba Mungu atulinde na kutuokoa. Angalia mpangilio, kwa maana ni kinyume cha jinsi wengi wanavyofundishwa: kuabudu na mapenzi ya Mungu yanakuja kwanza; mahitaji yetu wenyewe na maungamo yetu yanakuja baadaye. Hatuanzi na orodha yetu ya manunuzi, bali na Mungu wetu.Walk slowly through it. "Our Father" uses the word abba, the most intimate family word of that day — we come as a trusting child to a loving father; yet "hallowed be Your name" reminds us He is holy, set apart, utterly unique. Intimacy and reverence held together. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done" — before we ask anything for ourselves, we put God's kingdom and will first. "Give us this day our daily bread" — only now, halfway through, comes the first request for ourselves, and even it teaches us to depend on God as our Provider day by day. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" — our debts are our sins, and our being forgiven is tied to our forgiving others. "Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us" — a plea that God would keep us and rescue us. Notice the order, for it is the opposite of how many are taught: adoration and God's will come first; our own needs and our confession come after. We do not begin with our shopping list, but with our God.

III. Aina Nyingi za MaombiIII. The Many Kinds of Prayer

Biblia inaonyesha kwamba maombi si kitu kimoja tu bali ni vingi. Kuna sifa na kuabudu, kumwambia Mungu jinsi alivyo mkuu na mtakatifu. Kuna shukrani, kumshukuru kwa yale aliyoyatenda. Kuna maungamo: neno la Kigiriki maana yake halisi ni "kusema jambo lile lile" — katika maungamo tunakubaliana na Mungu kuhusu dhambi yetu, kama yule mtoza ushuru aliyelia, "Ee Mungu, uniwie radhi mimi mwenye dhambi" (Luka 18:13, SUV). Kuna dua, ambayo inamwomba Mungu abadilishe hali zetu, lakini zaidi abadilishe mioyo yetu, kama Bwana Mwenyewe alivyoomba bustanini, "walakini, si kama nitakavyo mimi, bali kama utakavyo wewe" (Mathayo 26:39, SUV). Kuna maombezi, kusimama kati ya Mungu na wengine ili kuomba kwa ajili ya mahitaji yao — kama Yesu alivyowaombea hata wale waliomsulubisha, "Baba, uwasamehe, kwa kuwa hawajui watendalo" (Luka 23:34, SUV). Tunaweza pia kujiombea wenyewe; hili si ukosefu wa imani bali ni utii, kwa maana Maandiko yanasema waziwazi, "Hamna kitu kwa sababu hamwombi" (Yakobo 4:2, SUV). Tunaweza kumletea Mungu maswali yetu ya kweli, yeye aliye mvumilivu kwa wote wanaotafuta kwa dhati kumwelewa. Na tunapolemewa kiasi kwamba hatujui tuombe nini, kuna maombi ya kuugua: "Roho mwenyewe hutuombea kwa kuugua kusikoweza kutamkwa" (Warumi 8:26, SUV). Baada ya maneno yetu yote, yanabaki maombi ya kusikiliza — kutulia mbele za Mungu.The Bible shows that prayer is not one single thing but many. There is praise and adoration, telling God how great and holy He is. There is thanksgiving, thanking Him for what He has done. There is confession: the Greek word means literally "to say the same thing" — in confession we agree with God about our sin, as the tax collector who cried, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" (Luke 18:13, NKJV). There is supplication, which asks God to change our circumstances, yet even more to change our hearts, as the Lord Himself prayed in the garden, "not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39, NKJV). There is intercession, standing between God and others to pray for their needs — as Jesus prayed even for those who crucified Him, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34, NKJV). We may also ask for ourselves; this is not a lack of faith but obedience, for Scripture says plainly, "you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2, NKJV). We may bring our honest questions to God, who is patient with all who sincerely seek to understand Him. And when we are so overwhelmed that we do not know what to pray, there is the prayer of groanings: "the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26, NKJV). After all our words, there remains the prayer of listening — being still before God.

HitimishoConclusion

Basi, maombi si desturi ya kidini bali ni mawasiliano hai pamoja na Baba mtakatifu na mwenye upendo — zaidi sana ya mazungumzo, lakini yanayoendeshwa kama mazungumzo; yaliyopangwa kama Bwana alivyotufundisha, Mungu kwanza na mahitaji yetu baadaye; na yenye utajiri katika aina zake nyingi, kuanzia sifa hadi kuugua hadi kusikiliza kwa ukimya. Katika sehemu inayofuata tutaona jinsi watakatifu na Zaburi walivyoomba, jinsi kanisa linavyoomba pamoja, na jinsi maombi yanavyounganishwa na kufunga — na tutajifunza kuomba tukitarajia kwamba Mungu wetu husikia na kujibu.Prayer, then, is not a religious form but a living communication with a holy and loving Father — far more than conversation, yet carried on like one; ordered as the Lord taught us, with God first and our needs after; and rich in its many kinds, from praise to groaning to silent listening. In the next unit we will see how the saints and the Psalms prayed, how the church prays together, and how prayer is joined to fasting — and we will learn to pray expecting that our God hears and answers.

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