Sometimes we feel like God is making us wait too long to get the answer that we are waiting and praying for. My message to you today is “Don’t give up”; keep trusting in the Lord; keep your faith strong in the Lord; be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might; don’t stop believing in God for a miracle.
Over twenty years ago Somali Christian Ministries started with a dream that 1,000 Somali Christians from every tribe and clan could gather together in one room and worship the Lord Jesus Christ in peace and joy and harmony. That dream is starting to come true; Somali Christians are growing in their faith; Somali Christians are going to church; Somali Christians are meeting with one another and are praising and worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ together – praise the Lord Jesus Christ.
Very often we get discouraged because we do not see the answer to our prayers; we see what we want in our hearts and in our minds but we do not see the answer to our prayers happen before us; we know what we want and what we need and we pray for it but it doesn’t happen; very often God makes us wait to build our faith.
This is what God says in the Bible:
“After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1: 1-9
“Addoonkii Rabbiga oo Muuse ahaa markuu dhintay dabadeed, Rabbigu wuxuu la hadlay Yashuuca ina Nuun, oo Muuse midiidin u ahaa, oo wuxuu ku yidhi, Addoonkaygii Muuse ahaa waa dhintay, haddaba kac, oo webigan Urdun ka tallaaba, adiga iyo dadkan oo dhammuba, oo waxaad u gudubtaan dalka aan siinayo iyaga, kuwaasoo ah reer binu Israa’iil. Meel kasta oo aad cagta dhigtaanba waan idin siiyey, sidaan Muuse ugu sheegay. Oo soohdintiinnu waxay noqon doontaa marka laga bilaabo cidlada, iyo Lubnaantan, iyo xataa tan iyo webiga weyn oo ah Webi Yufraad, iyo dalka reer Xeed oo dhan, iyo tan iyo badda weyn ee xagga qorraxdu u dhacdo. Cimrigaaga oo dhan ninna isma kaa hor taagi kari doono. Sidaan Muuse ula jiray ayaan adigana kuula jiri doonaa. Kuma aan gabi doono, kumana aan dayrin doono. Haddaba xoog yeelo, oo aad u dhiirranow, waayo, dadkan waxaad dhaxalsiisaa dalkii aan ugu dhaartay awowayaashood inaan iyaga siiyo. Xoog uun yeelo, oo aad u dhiirranow inaad dhawrtid oo aad yeeshid si waafaqsan sharcigii addoonkaygii Muuse kugu amray oo dhan. Si aad ugu liibaantid meel kastoo aad tagtidba, sharcigaas ha uga leexan midigta iyo bidixda toona.Kitaabkan sharcigu waa inaanu afkaaga ka tegin, laakiinse waa inaad u fiirsataa habeen iyo maalinba, si aad u dhawrtid wax alla waxa ku qoran oo dhan, waayo, markaasaad jidkaaga ku barwaaqoobi doontaa, waanad liibaani doontaa. Miyaanan kugu amrin? Xoog yeelo, oo aad u dhiirranow. Ha cabsan, hana qalbi jabin, waayo, Rabbiga Ilaahaaga ahu wuu kula jiraa meel kastoo aad tagtidba” – Yashuuca 1:1-9.
Sometimes we have to keep living our lives even after someone close to us dies; sometimes we have to keep living and doing things for our family even when some of them are taken away from us; sometimes we have to keep trusting in the Lord even when our family is taken away from us or dies.
One time in 1989 there was a Christian woman in Nigeria who had 3 daughters; this woman was married and her husband was also a Christian. The Nigerian government said that Sharia law was going to be the land of the land in Nigeria and Christians started to get persecuted. The woman ran to the school where her oldest daughter was learning and find her so that she could bring her home. When the mother ran to the school she found that her daughter had been taken to a place of safety. The mother found the daughter and brought her safely home.
But the woman’s husband was not so safe. He had gone to a Christian meeting when the place where he was worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ was attacked. The members of the church we killed including this woman’s husband. Many churches were attacked and destroyed. This woman found her strength in God; this Christian woman was trusting in God even though God had allowed her husband to be taken away from her; this woman found hope and strength in reading the Book of Acts from the Bible; this woman found strength in the story about a man named Stephen who was killed for his faith.
This is what Stephen the told High Priest in the Book of Acts:
“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who actually built it. However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,
‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord. ‘Could you build me such a resting place?
Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’
“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. – Acts 7:46-60
“Daa’uudna Ilaah hortiis ayuu wanaag ka helay, oo wuxuu weyddiistay inuu Ilaahii Yacquub u helo meel uu dego. Laakiinse Sulaymaan baa guri u dhisay.
Hase ahaatee Kan ugu sarreeya ma dego guryo gacmo lagu sameeyo; sida nebigu leeyahay,
Samadu waa carshigayga, Dhulkuna waa meeshaan cagaha saarto, Rabbigu wuxuu leeyahay, Guri caynmaad ii dhisi doontaan? Ama maxay tahay meeshaan ku nastaa?
Miyaan gacantaydu samayn waxyaalahan oo dhan?
Idinkan madaxa adag oo aan qalbiga iyo dhegaha laga gudinow, weligiinba Ruuxa Quduuska ah waad hor joogsataan. Sidii awowayaashiin yeeli jireen oo kale ayaad idinna yeeshaan. Bal nebiyada kee baan awowayaashiin silcin? Xataa iyagu waxay dileen kuwii hore u sheegay imaatinka Kan xaqa ah; kan idinku aad haatan gacangeliseen oo disheen. Waxaad sharciga u hesheen sidii wax malaa’igahu hagaajiyeen, laakiinse ma aydnaan xajin.
Haddaba markay waxyaalahaas maqleen way ka xanaaqeen oo u ilka jirriqsadeen isaga. Laakiin isagoo Ruuxa Quduuska ahu ka buuxo ayuu samada aad u fiiriyey, oo wuxuu arkay ammaanta Ilaah iyo Ciise oo midigta Ilaah taagan, oo wuxuu yidhi, Bal eega, waxaan arkayaa samooyinkii oo la furay iyo Wiilkii Aadanaha oo midigta Ilaah taagan. Laakiin markaasay cod weyn ku qayliyeen oo dhegaha furaysteen, oo iyagoo isku wada qalbi ah ku yaaceen isagii. Markaasay intay magaalada ka soo saareen dhagxiyeen; kuwii maragga ahaana dharkoodii waxay ag dhigteen nin dhallinyaro ah oo la odhan jiray Sawlos. Markaasay dhagxiyeen Istefanos oo Rabbiga baryaya oo ku leh, Rabbi Ciisow, ruuxayga qaado. Markaasuu jilba joogsaday oo cod weyn ku qayliyey oo ku yidhi, Rabbiyow, dembigan dushooda ha ka dhigin. Oo markuu sidaas yidhi, ayuu dhintay.” – Falimaha Rasuullada 7:46-60
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ; my dear Somali Christians brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ; of all the people on the earth we Somalis know what it is like to face pain and suffering and even death; we Somalis know what it is like to lose family members to war or religious persecution; we Somalis know what it is like to face hardship and trouble. We need to show our love for God and our trust in God by not giving up; we need to show our strength in the Lord by continuing to trust in Him; we Somalis need to let our faith in God and in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior to shine bright so that our children, our friends, and our family can see the way of truth and hear the message of the Lord.
Jesus said: “”I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. – John 14:6
“Markaasaa Ciise wuxuu Toomas ku yidhi, Anigu waxaan ahay jidka iyo runta iyo nolosha. Ninna Aabbaha uma yimaado, xaggayguu ku yimaado maahee.” – Yooxanaa 14:6
Let us pray…