A Pastoral Word. . . Lost in Translation
Pastor Kevin Freeman
August 22, 2024
Have you ever used a translation app on your phone? These are amazing tools that allow us to communicate in another language in real time. They are not perfect, however. One Russian tourist to Portugal learned this the hard way last year.
Already feeling unwell, the man entered a restaurant and used his phone’s translation app to request pomegranate juice. Moments later, he was swarmed by police who had him on the ground. He was then arrested, and all his belongings were searched.
Why did this happen? Apparently, when asking for a pomegranate, his phone reverted to a Spanish translator, giving him the word grenada. In Portuguese, this means bomb! The waiter had called the police, suspecting a terror threat.
Sometimes we approach prayer wondering whether our petitions become lost in translation. We wonder if we are praying the right way or using just the right words. Timidly, we shrink back, fearful that we might mess up. The Bible speaks less about the words of our prayer than it does about the frequency of our prayer. Here are a few examples:
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. - Colossians 4:2 NIV
Pray constantly. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 CSB
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. - Jeremiah 33:3 ESV
God’s translator works perfectly! He hears the desires of your heart when you pray, so do not be afraid to boldly approach God’s throne with your requests.
But prayer is a two-way street. God’s message through Jeremiah reminds us that He loves to respond to our prayers. How well does your translator work?
While we do not have an app that translates God’s messages to us, God has given two resources that are far better: His indwelling Spirit and His unchanging Word. God’s Spirit lives within each believer, guiding each of us into His truth. Jesus said so:
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. - John 16:13-14 ESV
Nevertheless, we can choose how sensitive we wish to be to God’s Spirit. Perhaps you have felt rushed recently, and it has been difficult to set aside time to focus on God’s voice. Or maybe you have yet to develop that discipline. You also may not hear from God, because you have been praying less often. If so, the idea of hearing from God may sound foreign, difficult. Remember that God invites your prayer and offers His response. “Call to Me,” He says, “and I will answer you.”
Your partner in ministry,
Kevin Freeman
Already feeling unwell, the man entered a restaurant and used his phone’s translation app to request pomegranate juice. Moments later, he was swarmed by police who had him on the ground. He was then arrested, and all his belongings were searched.
Why did this happen? Apparently, when asking for a pomegranate, his phone reverted to a Spanish translator, giving him the word grenada. In Portuguese, this means bomb! The waiter had called the police, suspecting a terror threat.
Sometimes we approach prayer wondering whether our petitions become lost in translation. We wonder if we are praying the right way or using just the right words. Timidly, we shrink back, fearful that we might mess up. The Bible speaks less about the words of our prayer than it does about the frequency of our prayer. Here are a few examples:
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. - Colossians 4:2 NIV
Pray constantly. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 CSB
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. - Jeremiah 33:3 ESV
God’s translator works perfectly! He hears the desires of your heart when you pray, so do not be afraid to boldly approach God’s throne with your requests.
But prayer is a two-way street. God’s message through Jeremiah reminds us that He loves to respond to our prayers. How well does your translator work?
While we do not have an app that translates God’s messages to us, God has given two resources that are far better: His indwelling Spirit and His unchanging Word. God’s Spirit lives within each believer, guiding each of us into His truth. Jesus said so:
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. - John 16:13-14 ESV
Nevertheless, we can choose how sensitive we wish to be to God’s Spirit. Perhaps you have felt rushed recently, and it has been difficult to set aside time to focus on God’s voice. Or maybe you have yet to develop that discipline. You also may not hear from God, because you have been praying less often. If so, the idea of hearing from God may sound foreign, difficult. Remember that God invites your prayer and offers His response. “Call to Me,” He says, “and I will answer you.”
Your partner in ministry,
Kevin Freeman
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