UBANI nje ongathi akakaze akhathazeke futhi azizwe edinga umuntu ozomsiza? Kuye ngokuthi sikhathazwa yini, cishe siyokhetha umngane onozwela futhi owake wabhekana nobunzima esibhekene nabo. Ukuba nobubele nolwazi kumenza abe umngane esimthanda ngempela.

Abanye bangase babe nomuzwa ofanayo endabeni yomthandazo. Kunokuba bathandaze kuNkulunkulu—ongase abonakale ephakeme kakhulu kubo futhi esabeka—bazizwa bekhululeke kakhudlwana komunye wosanta. Bacabanga ukuthi osanta, njengoba bezazi izinkinga nobunzima obuvamile kubantu, bayoba nozwela kakhudlwana. Ngokwesibonelo, abantu abalahlekelwe okuthile okubaluleke kakhulu kubo bangase bakhethe ukuthandaza “kuSanta” Anthony wasePadua—usanta wezinto ezilahlekile noma ezebiwe. Uma bethandazela isilwane esigulayo, bangase bakhethe “uSanta” Francis wase-Assisi noma bathandaze “kuSanta” Jude Thaddeus uma bephelelwe ithemba.

Nokho, ingabe ukuthandaza kosanta kuyavumelana nemiBhalo? Lapho sithandaza sisuke sikhuluma noNkulunkulu, kodwa ingabe uyayizwa imithandazo yethu? Kufanele sizibuze nokuthi: UNkulunkulu uzizwa kanjani ngokuthandaza kosanta?

Umkhuba wokuthandaza kosanta usekelwe emfundisweni yokukhulunyelwa osanta, efundiswa iSonto LamaKatolika. Umqondo oyinhloko uwukuthi “umuntu othile onelungelo lokukhuluma noNkulunkulu akucelele isihe kuye,” kusho i-New Catholic Encyclopedia. Ngakho, umuntu othandaza kosanta usuke enethemba lokuthi uzokuthola lokho akucelayo ngoba ekhulunyelwa umuntu onokuma okuhle phambi kukaNkulunkulu.

Ingabe iBhayibheli liyakufundisa lokho? Abanye bathi izincwadi zikamphostoli uPawulu ziyayisekela imfundiso yokuthandaza kosanta. Ngokwesibonelo, lapho ebhalela amaKristu aseRoma, wathi: “Manje ngiyanikhuthaza, bazalwane, ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu nangothando lomoya, ukuba nizikhandle kanye nami emithandazweni kuNkulunkulu ngenxa yami.” (Roma 15:30) Ingabe uPawulu wayecela ukuba amaKristu akanye naye amkhulumele kuNkulunkulu? Cha. Kwakungaba yiwo ayengacela uPawulu, umphostoli kaKristu, ukuba awakhulumele. UPawulu wayebonisa ukuthi kuyafaneleka ukucela amanye amaKristu ukuba asithandazele kuNkulunkulu. Kodwa kuyindaba ehluke ngophelele ukuthandaza kumuntu okucatshangwa ukuthi usezulwini ukuze asicelele kuNkulunkulu. Kungani kunjalo?

 EVangelini likamphostoli uJohane, uJesu uthi: “Mina ngiyindlela neqiniso nokuphila. Akekho oza kuBaba ngaphandle kokuba eze ngami.” (Johane 14:6) Ubuye athi: “UBaba uyoninika noma yini eniyicela kuye egameni lami.” (Johane 15:16, The New Jerusalem Bible) UJesu akazange athi kufanele sithandaze kuye futhi akashongo ukuthi uyobe esesikhulumela kuNkulunkulu. Kunalokho, ukuze uNkulunkulu ayizwe imithandazo yethu, kumelwe sithandaze ngegama likaJesu kuphela.

Lapho abafundi bakhe bemcela ukuba abafundise ukuthandaza, uJesu wathi: “Noma nini lapho nithandaza, anothi, ‘Baba, malingcweliswe igama lakho.’” (Luka 11:2) Yiqiniso, “noma nini,” noma njalo lapho sithandaza kufanele sikhuleke kuNkulunkulu hhayi kuJesu noma omunye umuntu. Ngenxa yalezi zimfundiso zikaJesu ezicacile, akukhona yini ukuhlakanipha ukuphetha ngokuthi kufanele sithandaze kuNkulunkulu ngoJesu Kristu hhayi ukukhulunyelwa yinoma imuphi umuntu noma “osanta”?

Umthandazo uyingxenye ebaluleke kakhulu yokukhulekela kwethu, futhi kusobala ukuthi ukukhulekela omunye umuntu ngaphandle kukaNkulunkulu kuyangqubuzana nezimfundiso zeBhayibheli. (Johane 4:23, 24; IsAmbulo 19:9, 10) Yingakho kufanele sithandaze kuNkulunkulu kuphela.

ENtshumayelweni yakhe yaseNtabeni, uJesu wenza isibonelo sengane ecela ukudla kuyise. Ingabe uyise angayinika itshe esikhundleni sesinkwa? Noma inyoka enobuthi esikhundleni senhlanzi? (Mathewu 7:9, 10) Umzali onothando ngeke ayenze into enjalo, engenangqondo!

Cabanga ngalo mfanekiso kodwa wena ungumzali. Ake sithi ingane yakho ifuna ukukucela ukuba uyenzele okuthile. Uye wakha ubuhlobo obuhle nayo futhi ubulokhu ungeneka. Noma kunjalo, ngenxa yokwesaba ukuthi uzosabela kanjani, icela othile ukuba ayikhulumele nawe. Ungazizwa kanjani? Ungathini uma lokho ikwenza umkhuba, ukukhuluma nawe kuphela ngomunye umuntu futhi kubonakala ukuthi izimisele ukuqhubeka nalo mkhuba? Ubungakujabulela yini lokho? Lutho neze! Abazali abanothando bafuna izingane zabo zikhulume nabo ngokuqondile futhi zizizwe zikhululekile ukucela ezikudingayo.

Ebonisa indlela umfanekiso wakhe wengane ecela ukudla osebenza ngayo, uJesu wathi esixukwini: “Ngakho-ke, uma nina, nakuba nibabi, nikwazi ukupha abantwana benu izipho ezinhle, yeka ukuthi uYihlo osemazulwini uyobapha kakhulu kangakanani izinto ezinhle labo abamcelayo!” (Mathewu 7:11) Akungabazeki ukuthi umzali unesifiso esinamandla sokunika ingane yakhe izinto ezinhle. Sinamandla nakakhulu isifiso sikaBaba wethu osezulwini sokuzwa nokuphendula imithandazo yethu.

UNkulunkulu ufuna sithandaze kuye ngokuqondile ngisho noma sicindezelwe amaphutha ethu. Akabelanga abanye ukuba balalele imithandazo yethu. IBhayibheli liyasinxusa: “Phonsa umthwalo wakho phezu kukaJehova, yena uyokusekela.” (IHubo 55:22) Kunokuba sincike ekukhulunyelweni osanta noma abanye abantu, siyobe senza kahle uma sihlakulela umbono ofanele ngoJehova uNkulunkulu.

UBaba wethu osezulwini uyasikhathalela njengabantu ngabanye. Ufuna ukusisiza ezinkingeni zethu futhi usimema ukuba sisondele kuye. (Jakobe 4:8) Yeka indlela esijabula ngayo ngokuthi sinethuba lokuthandaza kuNkulunkulu wethu noBaba, ‘uMuzwi womthandazo’!—IHubo 65:2.