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**Heading: "Trusting the Shepherd’s Voice"**


Last Tuesday, Eskom plunged Akasia into Stage 6 darkness again. I sat in my dim living room, the *"load-shedding survival kit"*—a solar lamp, lukewarm coffee, and a frayed Bible—strewn beside me. Outside, the hum of generators mingled with the clatter of protest songs drifting from Soshanguve. My phone buzzed with alerts: another minister arrested for corruption, a rand in freefall, and a viral video of a pastor claiming prayer could "bypass" Eskom’s schedules. I laughed, but my chest tightened. *Is this the valley we’re meant to walk through?*  

Then I flipped to Matthew 6:13: *"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."* Jesus’ words felt jarringly relevant. Not because God dangles us over hellfire like a bored child with a beetle, but because we’re wired to grip false saviors—be they dodgy pastors, political messiahs, or that third cup of coffee at midnight.  

### **The Prayer That Names Our Fragility**  

Let’s dismantle the myth: God isn’t a celestial game-show host, smirking as we fumble toward sin. The Greek word for *"temptation"* here (*peirasmos*) isn’t about candy-coated lures; it’s the grinding pressure that fractures faith. Think of Job’s ash heap, David’s rooftop stroll, or Peter’s denial beside a charcoal fire. Jesus’ prayer is less about avoiding trials and more about pleading, *"Don’t let my weakness become my undoing."*  

In a SA context, this hits like a mallet. We’re a nation of survivors—kicking against load-shedding, unemployment (34.9% and climbing), and the ghost of state capture. Yet, our resilience often morphs into pride. We’ll hashtag #SouthAfricaRising while quietly nursing anxiety ulcers. But Jesus invites us to pray *"lead us not"* as a confession: *"I’m not invincible. My faith is a flickering candle. Shepherd, don’t let me wander into storms I can’t weather."*  

### **The Shepherd’s Voice in a Noisy Karoo**  

Pretoria’s Church Street is a microcosm of our dissonance. BMWs glide past beggars; hipsters sipping artisanal rooibos debate coalitions while taxi horns blare Zulu hymns. Amid this cacophony, how do we discern the Shepherd’s voice?  

The Transfiguration story (Matthew 17:5) thunders: *"Listen to Him!"* Not to the seductive whispers of prosperity gospel (“Pray harder, tithe more, and God will fix Eskom!”) or the cynicism of our age (“*Ag, alles is kak*”). The Shepherd’s voice doesn’t promise escape from valleys but presence within them.  

Last month, I met Thandi, a vendor in Mamelodi. Her stall was looted in July ’21 unrests. “I prayed *‘lead me not’* daily,” she said, rearranging ginger roots. “But God didn’t stop the thieves. He stopped me from becoming bitter. Now I hire two jobless boys. *Hau, Jesus is sneaky like that.*”  

### **When the Cliff is Invisible**  

Kierkegaard wrote, *"Faith sees best in the dark."* Yet SA’s darkness feels relentless. We’re haunted by Marikana memories, Phoenix racial tensions, and a youth bulge with nothing to lose. The evil one’s tactic isn’t always grand corruption; it’s the slow erosion of hope.  

But here’s the rub: praying *"deliver us"* isn’t resignation—it’s rebellion. It’s choosing to grip the Shepherd’s hand while staring into the abyss. Like the child in Jesus’ analogy, our grip says, *"I don’t know the way, but I know the Guide."*  

Last week, I hiked Groenkloof Nature Reserve. At a cliff’s edge, a sign warned: *"Gevaar! Invisible drop-offs."* I froze, recalling Christ’s wilderness testing. Satan quoted Scripture, dangling shortcuts to glory. Jesus refused, trusting the Father’s path—even if it led to a cross.  

### **A Liturgy for the Lost**  

So, what’s our move? Start with raw prayer. Not the polished *"Bless the ANC and the DA"* kind, but the guttural cry of the Psalms. Name your cliffs:  

- *"Lead me not into the temptation of numbing pain with Instagram scrolls."*  

- *"Deliver SA from the evil of forgetting the poor while building smart cities."*  

- *"Keep my feet from the cliff of believing I’m too broken to be used."*  

Then, listen. The Shepherd’s voice often echoes in unlikely places: a taxi driver’s wisdom, a child’s laugh during load-shedding, or the solidarity of a community garden in Khayelitsha.

### **Final Provocation**  

Brothers, sisters, *makwane*—we’re a nation of Jacob’s, limping but blessed. Let’s stop treating prayer as a vending machine and start seeing it as a lifeline. The Shepherd isn’t mute; He’s whispering through the chaos: *"I AM here. The valley? We’ll walk it together."*  

So next time the lights die, light a candle. Call a neighbor. Pray recklessly. And remember: the same God who led Moses through desert politics is leading us through coalition chaos. Our job isn’t to map the route—just to trust the Voice.

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