Sometimes bad things happen in our lives; maybe we lose our children to war or for some other reason; maybe some of our children get very sick and have to be put in the hospital because the family cannot take care of them anymore in their homes; sometimes a husband or a wife may be killed; or a husband or a wife may get very sick. There are many sad things that happen in our lives as human beings; we all suffer under the problems of this world.
But God has not left as orphans. An orphan is someone whose parents have died and has to be taken care of by someone else. It is difficult to be an orphan or a widow because you feel like no one really loves you; you feel like other people don’t really want to take care of you but they have to because they are your relatives. So you feel unloved and unwanted for a long time.
There is hope for all of us in Jesus Christ.
“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” – John 8:12
“ Haddaba Ciise ayaa mar kale la hadlay iyaga, oo wuxuu ku yidhi, Anigu waxaan ahay nuurka dunida. Kii i soo raacaa, gudcurka kuma socon doono, wuxuuse lahaan doonaa nuurka nolosha.”
We feel very sad and afraid when we are in the darkness and no one else is with us; we feel very afraid when we don’t know what is going to happen in our lives; we are like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness; Jesus has the power to send all the darkness away from our lives; Jesus has the power to give us strength to face the day and to give us hope.
Listen to these wonderful words that Jesus spoke; listen to these good words that Jesus said; they should give you peace and hope for today and for tomorrow:
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”
“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” – John 14:1-21
“Qalbigiinnu yuusan murugoon. Ilaah waad rumaysan tihiin, anigana i rumaysta. Guriga Aabbahay wuxuu leeyahay hoyaal badan. Haddaanay sidaas ahayn waan idiin sheegi lahaa, maxaa yeelay, waxaan u tegayaa inaan meel idiin sii diyaariyo. Oo haddaan tago oo meel idiin diyaariyo, mar dambe waan soo noqon doonaa, oo xaggaygaan idiin qaadan doonaa, in meeshaan joogo, idinkuna aad joogtaan. Oo meeshaan tegayo iyo jidkaba waad taqaaniin. Toomas ayaa ku yidhi, Sayidow, ma naqaan meeshaad tegaysid ee sidee baan ku naqaan jidka? Markaasaa Ciise wuxuu Toomas ku yidhi, Anigu waxaan ahay jidka iyo runta iyo nolosha. Ninna Aabbaha uma yimaado, xaggayguu ku yimaado maahee. Haddaad i garateen, Aabbahayna waad garan lahaydeen. Hadda ka dib waad garanaysaan, waadna aragteen.
Filibos baa ku yidhi, Sayidow, Aabbaha na tus, waana nagu filan yahay. Markaasaa Ciise wuxuu ku yidhi, Ma intaas badan baan idinla joogay, oo aanad i garanaynin, Filibosow? Kii i arkay wuxuu arkay Aabbaha. Sidee baad u leedahay, Aabbaha na tus? Miyaadan rumaysan inaan Aabbaha ku jiro, Aabbuhuna uu igu jiro? Erayadaan idinkula hadlayo, anigu iskagama hadlayo, Aabbahase igu jira ayaa shuqulladiisa sameeya. I rumaysta inaan Aabbaha ku jiro, oo Aabbuhuna aniga igu jiro, haddii kale shuqullada aawadood ii rumaysta. Runtii, runtii, waxaan idinku leeyahay, Kii i rumaystaa, shuqullada aan sameeyo, isna wuu samayn doonaa, oo shuqullo kuwan ka waaweynna wuu samayn doonaa, maxaa yeelay, Aabbahaan u tegayaa. Oo wax alla waxaad magacayga ku weyddiisataan, waan samayn doonaa in Aabbuhu ku ammaanmo Wiilka. Haddii aad wax igu weyddiisataan magacayga, waan samayn doonaa.
Haddii aad i jeceshihiin, qaynuunnadayda waad xajin doontaan. Aniguna Aabbahaan baryi doonaa, isna wuxuu idin siin doonaa Gargaare kale inuu idinla jiro weligiin, waxaa weeye, Ruuxa runta ah oo aanay dunidu qaadan karin, waayo, ma aragto, garanna mayso, idinkuse waad garanaysaan, waayo, wuu idinla jiraa, wuuna idinku jiri doonaa. Idiinkama tegi doono agoonnimo, ee waan idiin imanayaa. In yar dabadeed dunidu i arki mayso mar dambe, idinkuse waad i arkaysaan. Waan noolahay, taas aawadeed idinkuna waad noolaan doontaan. Maalintaas waxaad garan doontaan inaan Aabbahay ku jiro, idinna aad igu jirtaan, anna aan idinku jiro. Kii qaynuunnadayda haysta oo xajiya, waa kaas kan i jecel, kan i jecelna Aabbahay waa jeclaan doonaa, anna waan jeclaan doonaa, waana isu muujin doonaa isaga.”
Once there was a man in Pakistan who was an Iman. He used to attack Christians and burn their Bibles because he was very angry with them and with their belief in Jesus Christ. One day he decided to keep one of the Bibles he had stolen from the Christians and he started to read it. He wanted to read the Bible to find mistakes in the Bible so that he could prove to the Christians that the Bible was corrupt and had been changed by human hands.
One day as he was reading the Bible a bright light appeared to him; he saw a great light enter his room and then a voice spoke to him and said “why are you angry with me? And why are you fighting against me?” The man who saw the light was very afraid and asked the Light “who are you?” The Light answered the man and said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Every night for the next three nights the Light and the Word came into his room and appeared to him and said “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The man understood that it was Jesus who showed himself to the man and spoke to the man, so the man got on his knees and prayed.
This is what the man said (and if you want Jesus to be your Lord and Savior then you can also pray this pray with me right now): “Lord Jesus, I know that you are good and that you are the good shepherd. I know that you are kind and you love all people. I know that you are the one who God has sent into the world to save everyone from their sins. So I ask you know Lord Jesus Christ to come into my life and wash away all my sins and give me eternal life. Change my heart so that I will love you more and will love even my enemies. I accept you Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; I receive you as my Lord and Savior. Amen.”
Jesus is the light. He is light who has come into this world to give us light so that we can be saved from our sins and saved from our loneliness, fear and sadness. God is a God of love and kindness; just like a mother wants to hold her child if her child gets hurt, God wants to hold us when we are hurting. God wants to surround us with His love and care for us; God wants to give us peace so that we know we have eternal life and are going to go to heaven; God wants to help us in our weakness so that we can live a life for Him.
This is what Jesus said about Himself:
“And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” – John 3:19-21
“Kanu waa xukunka, nuurka ayaa dunida yimid, dadkiise waxay nuurkii ka jeclaadeen gudcurka, maxaa yeelay, shuqulladoodu shar bay ahaayeen. Nin kastoo shar falaa nuurkuu nebcaadaa, umana yimaado nuurka, si aan shuqulladiisa loogu canaanan. Laakiinse kii runta falaa, nuurkuu yimaadaa si shuqulladiisu u muuqdaan in Ilaah laga sameeyey.”
You are not alone. The God who created the stars and the sky is the God who wants to come into your heart and fill your mind with peace and light. If you have Jesus Christ in your heart then your heart and mind will be filled with light and peace. If your eyes have seen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ; if the eyes of your heart have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior then you have received the Light: you have received the Light that has come into this world.
Jesus says in the Bible:
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” – Revelation 3:20
“Bal eeg, albaabkaan taaganahay oo garaacayaa; haddaba haddii nin codkayga maqlo oo albaabka iga furo, waan u soo gelayaa, oo waan la cashayn, isna wuu ila cashayn.”
Amen. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart today.