Hearing God Speak
Russ Hersman
If you have ever traveled in a foreign country where you speak little more than a few words, you have experienced the challenge of trying to understand what people are saying. If you had only a French or Spanish Bible to read, would you hear God speaking your heart language? Recently I was in Juba, South Sudan, where I met many Sudanese all engaged in translating God’s Word into various languages. There are many different tongues spoken in South Sudan - between 70 and 85 national languages in the Nuba Mountains alone. And many are in process right now, thanks to men like Markos, Abraham, and others.
About three weeks ago, I was told of a man who first heard the Good News in Arabic many years ago. He listened but it did not impact him and he shrugged it off. Recently, he was walking in his village and heard people talking about Jesus in his own language. He stopped and listened. “Is this the same message of God or is this another?” he asked them. They assured him this is the same message. As he listened the Word hit him with power and he knew it was Truth from God. He embraced with joy this amazing Good News, realizing that God truly spoke his language!
And God speaks in other ways too. Among the Toposa people of South Sudan, where my wife, Lynda, and I have worked, the church had grown to between 200-300 people, viable but not vibrant. In 2017 the Jesus Film was translated into Toposa. When it was shown 2,000 people were spellbound that Jesus was speaking in their language to them. That night the Toposa church grew by 1200 people!
Our part is to pray for these Bible translators in South Sudan to faithfully get the Word of God into many languages.
If you have ever traveled in a foreign country where you speak little more than a few words, you have experienced the challenge of trying to understand what people are saying. If you had only a French or Spanish Bible to read, would you hear God speaking your heart language? Recently I was in Juba, South Sudan, where I met many Sudanese all engaged in translating God’s Word into various languages. There are many different tongues spoken in South Sudan - between 70 and 85 national languages in the Nuba Mountains alone. And many are in process right now, thanks to men like Markos, Abraham, and others.
About three weeks ago, I was told of a man who first heard the Good News in Arabic many years ago. He listened but it did not impact him and he shrugged it off. Recently, he was walking in his village and heard people talking about Jesus in his own language. He stopped and listened. “Is this the same message of God or is this another?” he asked them. They assured him this is the same message. As he listened the Word hit him with power and he knew it was Truth from God. He embraced with joy this amazing Good News, realizing that God truly spoke his language!
And God speaks in other ways too. Among the Toposa people of South Sudan, where my wife, Lynda, and I have worked, the church had grown to between 200-300 people, viable but not vibrant. In 2017 the Jesus Film was translated into Toposa. When it was shown 2,000 people were spellbound that Jesus was speaking in their language to them. That night the Toposa church grew by 1200 people!
Our part is to pray for these Bible translators in South Sudan to faithfully get the Word of God into many languages.
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