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KING WARNS NATION AGAINST BEING LIKE GOMORRAH

04/02/2024 16:13:00 Ntombi Mhlongo

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MBABANE – In different religions, the name Gomorrah features mostly in the story of two cities destroyed by God for their wickedness.

Together with Sodom, the story of the two cities is usually used to describe God’s anger provoked by man’s sin. His Majesty King Mswati III made reference to the story of Gomorrah when he preached during the Year Opening Prayer Service held at the Mandvulo Grand Hall yesterday. The basis of the King’s preaching was that people must stop believing in earthly things and those of the flesh, but on God alone. The King shared with the attendees how Gomorrah became a pitiful place before the eyes of God. “God then took a decision and something terrible happened on Gomorrah. We need to stop focusing on matters of the flesh but stay strong in our love for God. Today the world is more focused on things of this earth yet God destroyed Gomorrah,” the King said. Elaborating, the King warned that people must not bring Gomorrah into their lives because such will attract curses from God.

peacefully

At the start of the speech, the King said it brought so much joy to see so many emaSwati inside the hall and that God had ushered the nation peacefully into the year 2024. The King said he was happy to see the huge number of attendants at the service, which he said was reflected by the fact that the available seats proved to be not enough. “It is all because of the mercy of God. We thank the visitors from Africa and beyond who have come to fellowship with us today. We welcome you all”. In jest, the King spoke about how the programme director of the ceremony and Pastor Nhlanhla Hlatjwako had asked how he (The King) felt about the event. According to The King, he was surprised by the question as he had not prepared for it but that in future he will. The King then mentioned that what the programme director did not know was that it had been three months of not being able to address the nation and share the word. However, the King said despite the three months of being away, he could see from the sermons shared earlier that the pastors had kept it going in the churches.

miracles

The King then spoke of how God was a God of miracles and that the theme for the day talked about the miracles and great thing he does, some of which mankind might not be aware of.
“In God a lot of amazing things happen. If we serve God with all our hearts he is going to amaze us. Therefore, it is important that we trust God and stay faithful to him. If you imagine the many challenges you have been through, then you will be grateful to God. As emaSwati, we need to stay in the Lord because if we depart from him, we are inviting curses on our lives,” His Majesty said. The King also encouraged the congregants to understand that God has mighty powers which no human being has. All that congregants needed to do, the King said, was pray hard and uplift their faith and they will be blessed in many ways.

Also, the King reiterated the words of some of the pastors who rendered sermons earlier, whereby they encouraged Christians to, from time to time, spend some time with God. According to the King, it was important to fast and create a good relationship with God. “God might not answer your prayers instantly, but you have to keep the momentum. If we stick with God, he will bless the Kingdom of Eswatini. If you seek something, you need to be busy and fight for it. Likewise, if we need God in our lives, we must get busy. We must go to church, listen to the word and then do as God says. Pastors preach everyday but what is important is that the word must stay in our lives and we must practise what it says”. In jest, the King warned that Christians should not go to church just to impress their pastors or to scout for people to date, but should do so to rekindle their relationship with God.

The King reminded the congregants of the children of Israel when they embarked on a journey to the Promised Land, saying there came a point where some of them started losing hope and giving up on God. Due to that they had lost faith in God, the King said they ended up not reaching the Promised Land. “Losing hope and faith in God does not end well. It happened with John. God had to remind him in a not so pleasant way, so let us not be like John. In the Kingdom of Eswatini, the word of God is preached all over and this shows that our hope is in God and it should gain momentum every day. God must be happy with us. He is happy that today we have gathered here to pray for a good year and allow him to cleanse us”.

reminded

Quoting the Bible, the King said John was reminded of what happened when one lost his faith in God. “What I like about John is that when he heard the word of God, he stood up and started to follow the path that he had been mandated to follow. I implore the entire nation to live and respect God. This, we will achieve, by sticking to the Bible as it will always give us direction”. His Majesty said all the people who attended the service and those who were following it on television had been cleansed and were feeling the presence of God in their lives.
The same presence of God, The King said, is what they will then promote in their families and workplaces. “EmaSwati pray for peace, special well-being and harmony in the communities where they live. That is the life that God wants from us. We are blessed today because there is a renewal of our sins. They have been forgiven and washed away. We feel fresh and no longer the same”. Ending his address, the King appreciated the many congregants and attendees who presented gifts (tetfulo) and asked God to bless them.