📖 Kitabu cha Zaburi — Sehemu ya 8: Zaburi 28, Mungu Anaponyamaza📖 The Book of Psalms — Unit 8: Psalm 28, When God Is Silent

1. Uchungu wa Ukimya1. The Pain of Silence

Sipendi sana dhoruba za radi. Radi hapa kwetu inaweza kuleta madhara halisi; radi moja muda fulani uliopita iliharibu modemu tatu nyumbani kwetu. Lakini sehemu inayoudhi zaidi huja ninapokuwa katikati ya kipindi na skrini inazimika ghafla, na ujumbe unatokea ukisema kwamba mawimbi hayawezi kupokelewa. Hapo nimeketi nikiwa na dishi zuri, televisheni, na nyaya zote — na hakuna kitu ila ukimya. Tunaishi na kelele za nyuma zisizokoma, zilizoenea kila mahali, nasi tumezizoea kiasi kwamba tunajisikia vibaya bila kelele hizo. Ukimya unaweza kuumiza, na kamwe hauumizi zaidi kuliko unapokuwa ukimya wa Mungu.I do not care much for thunderstorms. The lightning around here can do real damage; one strike a while back knocked out three modems in our house. But the most irritating part comes when I am in the middle of a program and the screen suddenly goes blank, and a message pops up saying the signal cannot be received. There I sit with a fine dish, a television, and all the wires — and nothing but silence. We live with constant, pervasive background noise, and we have grown so accustomed to it that we feel uncomfortable without it. Silence can be painful, and never more so than when it is the silence of God.

Lo, jinsi ambavyo tungependa kuwa kama Musa, ambaye Mungu alisema naye kutoka katika kichaka kilichokuwa kikiwaka moto; au kama Eliya, aliyekuwa na mazungumzo ya kuendelea na Bwana; au kama Kristo, ambaye mara nyingi alienda peke yake kuwa pamoja na Baba yake. Badala yake kuna majira tunapolia na mbingu zinaonekana kimya. Majaribu tunayokabili ni halisi — saratani ni halisi, talaka ni halisi, kifo ni halisi, maumivu ni halisi — na katikati yake ukimya wa Mungu unaweza kutuacha tukiwa na huzuni, tumechanganyikiwa, na tumevunjika moyo, imani yetu ghafla ikiwa mashakani. Zaburi 28 ni maombi ya mtu aliye mahali hapo hasa: "Ee BWANA, nitakuita Wewe, Mwamba wangu, usinyamaze kwangu." Kwa nini Mungu wakati mwingine hunyamaza? Maandiko yanatoa angalau majibu matatu.Oh, how we would like to be like Moses, to whom God spoke from a burning bush; or like Elijah, who carried on a running conversation with the Lord; or like Christ, who often went off alone to be with His Father. Instead there are seasons when we cry out and heaven seems quiet. The trials we face are real — cancer is real, divorce is real, death is real, pain is real — and in the middle of them the silence of God can leave us upset, confused, and heartbroken, our faith suddenly up for grabs. Psalm 28 is the prayer of a man in exactly that place: "To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: do not be silent to me." Why is God sometimes silent? Scripture offers at least three answers.

2. Hunyamaza kwa Sababu Lazima Tumpate kwa Uzoefu2. Silent Because We Must Experience Him

Tunaupata ulimwengu kupitia hisi tano — kuona na kusikia, kugusa, kuonja, na kunusa. Mtoto mchanga lazima ajifunze kuzitumia; macho yake bado hayalengi vizuri wala haelewi sauti. Lakini hakuna hata moja ya hisi hizo inayomfikia Mungu, kwa maana Mungu ni Roho. Tunaweza tu kutumia lugha ya hisi kumweleza kwa wengine — tunasema kwamba "anasema" nasi, kwamba tunaweka "macho" yetu Kwake. Ili kumpata Mungu kwa uzoefu wa kweli, lazima tujifunze aina nyingine ya usikivu. Fikiria kijana Samweli, aliyetolewa kwa Bwana na kulelewa hekaluni chini ya Eli. Usiku mmoja alisikia sauti akakimbia kwa Eli, ambaye hakuwa amemwita. Ilitokea tena, na mara ya tatu, mpaka Eli alipoelewa akamwambia kijana, "Utakapoisikia tena, sema, 'Nena, BWANA; kwa kuwa mtumishi wako anasikia.'" Mkao huo — wa utulivu, wa usikivu, wa utayari — ndio njia ambayo nafsi hujifunza kumsikia Mungu.We experience the world through five senses — sight and hearing, touch, taste, and smell. A newborn must learn to use them; his eyes do not yet focus and he does not understand sound. But none of those senses reaches God, for God is Spirit. We can only use the language of the senses to describe Him to others — we say He "speaks" to us, that we keep our "eyes" on Him. To truly experience God, we must learn a different kind of attention. Think of young Samuel, given to the Lord and raised in the temple under Eli. One night he heard a voice and ran to Eli, who had not called him. It happened again, and a third time, until Eli understood and told the boy, "When you hear it again, say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" That posture — quiet, attentive, ready — is how the soul learns to hear God.

Kuna habari ya kweli ya mtu aliyezaliwa kipofu ambaye alikua, akaishi peke yake, na kucheza mpira wa magongo wa barafu (hockey). Kisha akapenda, na mpenzi wake akapata habari ya upasuaji ambao ungeweza kumpa uwezo wa kuona. Alifanyiwa upasuaji, lakini bendeji zilipoondolewa aliogopa sana. Ubongo wake haukuwahi kuchakata kuona, na mafuriko ya hisia yalimzidi; aliyafumba macho yake kwa nguvu akauliza, "Je, hivi ndivyo kuona kulivyo?" Ilimchukua miezi kujifunza kutumia kile ambacho macho yake sasa yalimpa. Ndivyo ilivyo kwa Mungu. Tunapotaka kumpata kwa uzoefu, kwa kawaida tunafumba macho na kutafuta mahali tulivu, tukizima hisi nyingine zinazotusumbua, ili hisi ya kiroho ijifunze kumtambua.There is a true story of a man born blind who grew up, lived on his own, and played hockey. Then he fell in love, and his sweetheart learned of an operation that might give him sight. He had the surgery, but when the bandages came off he was terrified. His brain had never processed sight, and the flood of sensation overwhelmed him; he shut his eyes tight and asked, "Is this what sight is like?" It took months to learn to use what his eyes were now giving him. So it is with God. When we want to experience Him, we usually close our eyes and find a quiet place, turning off the other senses that distract us, so that the spiritual sense can learn to perceive Him.

3. Neema Iliyofichwa Katika Ukimya3. The Grace Hidden in Silence

Hii ndiyo siri iliyofichwa ndani ya ukimya wa Mungu: mara nyingi ni neema. Ni mojawapo ya njia zake za kupata usikivu wetu tunapokuwa tumevurugwa na mambo elfu mengine. Maumivu yenyewe ya ukimya huamsha njaa inayotusukuma Kwake, mikononi mwa Yesu Kristo — ambaye, kwa njia, ndiye mtu pekee aliyewahi kuishi aliyesikia ukimya kamili, unaoziba masikio, wa Mungu. Akiwa amepigiliwa misumari msalabani, alilia, "Mungu wangu, Mungu wangu, mbona umeniacha?" na kilio hicho kilijibiwa kwa ukimya mtupu, ili ukimya wetu usiwe hivyo kamwe.This is the secret hidden inside God's silence: it is often grace. It is one of His ways of getting our attention when we are distracted by a thousand other things. The very pain of the silence stirs a hunger that pushes us toward Him, into the arms of Jesus Christ — who, by the way, is the only person who ever lived who heard the total, deafening silence of God. Nailed to the cross, He cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" and that cry was answered by nothing but silence, so that ours never need be.

4. Hunyamaza kwa Sababu Hatujajiweka Sawa Kusikia4. Silent Because We Haven't Tuned In

Ninaposikiliza redio, karibu kila mara nimeweka kituo kimoja. Wanangu waliwahi kushangaa kwa nini sikuwahi kupanga vituo vingine; ukweli ni kwamba ninaiacha kwenye kile ninachotaka kusikia. Tunaishi katika ulimwengu wa vivurugo, wenye vifaa vingi vya kurahisisha kazi kiasi kwamba tunakaribia kujichosha tukivitunza vyote vifanye kazi. Hatujui la kufanya na ukimya; ukiwa mkubwa mno tunafikia televisheni au redio. Lakini ili kusikia sauti ya Mungu lazima tusikilize kupitia ukimya. Na Mungu kwa kawaida hapigi kelele. Maandiko yanasema kwamba anasema kwa sauti ndogo ya utulivu — sauti inayozimwa kwa urahisi na makelele ya kelele zenye kushawishi za ulimwengu.When I listen to the radio, I am tuned almost always to one station. My sons once wondered why I had never set the other channels; the truth is I keep it on the one I want to hear. We live in a world of distractions, with so many labor-saving devices that we are about to wear ourselves out keeping them all running. We do not know what to do with silence; if it gets too quiet we reach for the television or the radio. But to hear the voice of God we have to listen through the silence. And God does not usually shout. The Scripture says He speaks in a still, small voice — a voice easily drowned out by the cacophony of the world's seductive noise.

Mtu mmoja aliwahi kupoteza saa yake ya thamani katika ghala la barafu. Wafanyakazi wenzake waliitafuta kwa bidii, wakichunguza kila inchi ya mahali hapo, lakini hawakuweza kuipata. Mvulana mdogo alisikia habari za utafutaji huo na, wakati wa mapumziko ya chakula cha mchana, aliingia kimyakimya akatoka upesi akiwa na saa hiyo. Wanaume walioshangaa waliuliza, "Umeipataje?" Alisema, "Niliingia tu, nikafunga mlango, nikalala kimya sakafuni, nikasikiliza. Baada ya muda niliweza kusikia tiki, tiki, tiki ya saa." Mambo mengine yanaweza kusikika tu katika utulivu.A man once lost his valuable watch in an ice house. His fellow workers searched diligently, combing every inch of the place, but could not find it. A little boy heard about the search and, during the lunch hour, slipped inside and quickly came out with the watch. The amazed men asked, "How did you find it?" He said, "I simply went in, closed the door, lay down quietly on the floor, and listened. After a while I could hear the tick, tick, tick of the watch." Some things can only be heard in stillness.

5. Kujiweka Sawa na Mawimbi Yake5. Tuned to His Frequency

Sababu nyingine tunayokosa kusikia sauti ya Mungu ni kwamba masikio yetu hayajawekwa sawa na mawimbi yake. Si kwamba Yeye yu kimya; ni kwamba tumesahau sauti yake inavyosikika, na kwa hiyo tunaikosa.Another reason we miss God's voice is that our ears are not tuned to His frequency. It is not that He is silent; it is that we have forgotten what His voice sounds like, and so we miss it.

6. Hunyamaza kwa Sababu Tumegeuka Mbali6. Silent Because We Have Turned Away

Kuna sababu ya tatu ya ukimya, nayo ndiyo ngumu kuliko zote: wakati mwingine tumegeuka mbali. Adamu alipotenda dhambi bustanini, alijificha, naye Mungu alikuja akiita, "Adamu, uko wapi?" — si kwa sababu Mungu alikuwa amempoteza, bali kwa sababu Adamu alikuwa amejificha. Dhambi isiyoungamwa, au mtindo wa dhambi uliozoeleka, huziba masikio yetu kiasi kwamba hata Mungu anaposema hatuwezi kumsikia.There is a third reason for the silence, and it is the hardest: sometimes we have turned away. When Adam sinned in the garden, he hid himself, and God came calling, "Adam, where are you?" — not because God had lost him, but because Adam had hidden. Unconfessed sin, or a settled pattern of sin, plugs up our ears so that even when God is speaking we cannot hear Him.

Nikiwa chuoni nilipatwa na ugonjwa mkali wa koo (strep throat), mbaya kiasi kwamba maambukizi yalienea hadi masikio yangu ya ndani na nilikuwa kweli nikipoteza uwezo wa kusikia. Wakati fulani madaktari waliondoa vizibo vikubwa kwa kushangaza vya nta masikioni mwangu — na ghafla niliweza kusikia tena. Dhambi hufanya kazi namna hiyo. Isipodhibitiwa, huenea kama maambukizi na kuziba masikio ya imani. Lakini Mungu kwa neema yake hutuhakikishia hatia, na tunapotenda kulingana na hukumu hiyo ya dhamiri, tukimgeukia kwa toba na kuungama dhambi yetu, kwa neema huyazibua masikio yetu. Ndipo tunagundua kwamba alikuwa akisema nasi muda wote; ila tu hatukuweza — au hatukutaka — kumsikia.In college I came down with a severe case of strep throat, so bad that the infection spread to my inner ears and I was actually going deaf. At one point the doctors removed astonishingly large plugs of wax from my ears — and suddenly I could hear again. Sin works like that. Left unchecked, it spreads like an infection and stops up the ears of faith. But God in His graciousness convicts us, and when we act on that conviction, turning to Him in repentance and confessing our sin, He graciously unstops our ears. Then we discover He had been speaking to us all along; we simply could not — or would not — hear Him.

7. Kupanda, Kuvuna, na Kuadibisha kwa Baba7. Sowing, Reaping, and the Chastening of a Father

Sheria mbili za Mungu zinatusaidia kuuelewa ukimya wake. Ya kwanza ni sheria ya kupanda na kuvuna: "chochote apandacho mtu, ndicho atakachovuna" (Wagalatia 6:7). Hii ni sheria ya ulimwengu wote. Hata yule mwizi msalabani, aliyesamehewa kikamilifu, bado alilazimika kubeba matokeo ya maisha yake ya dhambi. Msamaha hurejesha uhusiano; si kila mara hufuta mavuno. Ya pili ni sheria ya kuadibisha, inayowahusu watoto wa Mungu peke yao. Daudi alipotenda dhambi, nabii Nathani alimwambia kwamba yeye hatakufa, lakini mtoto aliyezaliwa kwake atakufa. Daudi aliomba na kufunga siku saba, na bado Mungu alinyamaza na mtoto akafa (2 Samweli 12). Wakati mwingine ukimya wa Mungu kwetu ni nidhamu ya upendo ya Baba anayesahihisha mwelekeo ambao bado hatuwezi kuona kwamba ni mbaya.Two of God's laws help us understand His silence. The first is the law of sowing and reaping: "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7). This is a universal law. Even the thief on the cross, fully forgiven, still had to bear the consequences of his sinful life. Forgiveness restores the relationship; it does not always cancel the harvest. The second is the law of chastening, which applies only to God's children. When David sinned, the prophet Nathan told him he would not die, but that the child born to him would. David prayed and fasted seven days, and still God was silent and the child died (2 Samuel 12). Sometimes God's silence toward us is the loving discipline of a Father who is correcting a course we cannot yet see is wrong.

Hayo ndiyo maombi ya majira ya ukimya: si kudai kwamba Mungu aseme kwa masharti yetu, bali kumwomba atuonyeshe kilicho kibaya na jinsi ya kukirekebisha.That is the prayer for a season of silence: not to demand that God speak on our terms, but to ask Him to show us what is wrong and how to make it right.

8. Kumrudia Mungu Anayesema8. Turning Back to the God Who Speaks

Mwalimu mkuu wa Uskoti William Barclay aliona kwamba kugeuka halisi, toba halisi, daima kunahusisha mienendo miwili: kugeuka kutoka kwa kitu fulani na kugeuka kuelekea kitu fulani. Tunageuka kutoka kwa dhambi na kelele na vivurugo vilivyoziba masikio yetu, na tunageuka kuelekea kwa Mungu ambaye amekuwa akisema muda wote. Kulikuwa na miaka mia nne ya ukimya kati ya nabii wa mwisho na Yohana Mbatizaji — kisha Mungu alisema Neno lake la mwisho na lililo kamili zaidi, Mwanawe. Kamwe hanyamazi kama anavyoonekana.The great Scottish teacher William Barclay observed that real turning, real repentance, always involves two movements: a turning from something and a turning toward something. We turn from the sin and noise and distraction that stopped our ears, and we turn toward the God who has been speaking all along. There were four hundred silent years between the last prophet and John the Baptist — and then God spoke His final and fullest Word, His Son. He is never as silent as He seems.

Kama uko katika majira ambapo mbingu zinaonekana kimya, usihitimishe kwamba Mungu amekuacha. Huenda anakufundisha kumpata kwa uzoefu kupita hisi; huenda anakualika utulie na kuuweka moyo wako sawa na mawimbi yake; huenda anakuita, kama Adamu, urudi kutoka mahali ulipotangatanga. Katika kila hali jibu ni lilelile: mkaribie. Tulia. Ungama kinachohitaji kuungamwa. Na sema pamoja na Samweli, "Nena, BWANA; kwa kuwa mtumishi wako anasikia." Mungu aliyevunja miaka mia nne ya ukimya kwa kilio cha mtoto mchanga huko Bethlehemu hajaacha kusema na wale watakaojinyamazisha ili wasikie.If you are in a season when heaven seems quiet, do not conclude that God has abandoned you. He may be teaching you to experience Him beyond the senses; He may be inviting you to be still and tune your heart to His frequency; He may be calling you, like Adam, back from a place you have wandered. In every case the answer is the same: draw near. Be still. Confess what needs confessing. And say with Samuel, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening." The God who broke four hundred years of silence with the cry of a newborn in Bethlehem has not stopped speaking to those who will quiet themselves to hear.

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