Lost in Translation

 

I think that we forget that the bible was not originally written in English. I think that we forget that the bible was written about real people living real experiences at a real time in history. I think we forget that these real people spoke a language that wasn’t English.

In the English language we have one word to describe a thing while in other languages there are several different words to describe the different types of the single word we use in English.

For instance, our English word “love”, no matter what type of love we want to express, there is only this one word, while in Greek, there are several words to describe the different kinds of love, agape, eros, philía, philautía, storge, and xenia, so there’s no ambiguity.

And in some instances, certain words in one language simply do not exist in English, so the very essence of the word gets lost in translation. Take the Danish word “hygge”, it can’t be properly expressed in English because it’s more of a feeling, a mood or an experience; in an effort to explain its meaning, it’s translated as “coziness” but that doesn’t do it justice since it is so much more than that.

“Hygge”, like some Hebrew and Greek words, is cultural and relational, so the translation is more of an interpretation than a true reflection of the word itself and inevitably the word’s essential meaning is lost in translation.

I imagine that when translating from any language into another, translators have to decide the best word-meaning choice, wondering, “will it fit the context?”, “will it carry the cultural meaning?”, “will it convey the genuine essence of the original language?”

Whatever the choice, it will have an effect on how we understand the word and in the case of God’s Word which was translated from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek to English.

Those who translated the bible years ago did not have the same life experiences as the people of the first century.

Their culture, their idea of community, how they viewed honour, saw shame, carried out justice, their familial relationships, their entire way of life, and even their communion with God, were vastly different so, it’s no wonder that context got lost in translation. Meanings got lost in translation. Understanding got lost in translation. Expressions got lost in translation. The intensity and the true impact of a whole verse or even a chapter got lost in translation because of the interpretation of a single word.

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 AMPC)

Beloved, every time you read the bible, you’re reading someone’s interpretation so that’s more reason for you to dig deep, go beneath the words on the pages, and always seek Spirit’s guidance because the words that have been lost in translation hold much more meaning than you realize.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Lost in Translation” ©2026 June 23, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the depths of despair

 

From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer. – Psalm 130:1-2 (NLT)

There’s so much chaos going on in the wider world today and closer to home, where you might be one of those persons who has lost their job or their livelihood. Life seems an endless spiral of doom and gloom and it feels as if you’re in the depths of despair with no apparent way out.

When bills are mounting and everything seems to be going wrong, don’t be afraid to call on the Lord for help. That’s what the psalmist did, he cried out to the Lord, from the depths of despair, asking Him to pay attention to his prayer.

Despair makes hope distant, but you must hang onto the belief that the Lord is hearing your voice and is listening to your prayers.

You can confidently echo Jesus’ words, I know You always hear and listen to Me (John 11:42 AMPC) because the Lord does, as a matter of fact, your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him (Matthew 6:8 NLT).

Trust that He knows your predicament and He will act, however, you must patiently await His response. The Lord acts in His timeframe, not yours. The period of waiting may be longer than you would want it to be and the anguish that waiting in the depths of despair brings is real, but the Lord is not slow as you understand slowness.

Beloved, even though you have been redeemed by Christ, you are not immune from the depths of despair that arise during difficult times, it’s par for the course but remember always that the Lord is aware of all that you’re going through and He is with you every step of the way.

So, as you wait for the joy that is sure to come in the morning, continue to trust that the Lord is working all things together for your good. Now, rest in His love for you.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “From the depths of despair” ©2026 June 22, 2026

An Anchored Soul

 

In Priscilla Jane Owens’ 1882 hymn, she asks,

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

This world is in turmoil, and it is seeping into our personal spaces – there is chaos everywhere you turn.

But, despite all that is churning up around you, imagine waking up each morning with a confident hope, not because your situation has changed but because your soul is anchored in something that’s deeper than your troubles.

Theological platitudes can only give relief to a downcast soul for a short time, all they do is act as a placebo – a temporary fix and not a long-term solution.

God’s incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, is an unwavering anchor for your soul. He is the Rock which cannot move, it is in Him that your soul must be firmly and deeply anchored.

Troubles come to all of us, but an anchored soul in Jesus will buffet life’s fiercest storms.

A very bad wind came up on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the boat, and it was almost full of water…Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm. – Mark 4:37 & 39 (ERV)

Your boat may be almost full of water but do not panic, know that the same Jesus who stilled the wind and calmed the waves is with you today. Jesus is the only anchor that can keep your soul steady in the most turbulent times; in Him is your peace, your strength and your hope.

God’s Word tells us to,

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. – Romans 12:12 (NLT)

I know all too well just how difficult it is to rejoice and be patient during the storms of life, but you must determine to do so because these are the seasons when your most holy faith is built up.

But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! – Jude 1:20-21 (MSG)

Beloved, an anchored soul in Jesus Christ is the real life. He is the Living Word on whom you can depend and in whom you can place your confident hope (ref. Psalm 42). And as you anchor your soul in Him, hold securely to the following promise of God,

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. – Isaiah 43:2 (ESV)

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13 (ERV)

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “An Anchored Soul” ©2026 June 21, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Let us Pray: Psalm 85

 

"Morning has Broken" by Shelley Johnson

O Lord, thank You for the favour You continuously show to me; for bringing me success in everything I do.

Thank You for forgiving me and for covering all my sins by the Blood of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Because of Your Son, You set aside all Your wrath and turned from Your fierce anger.

Thank You for restoring me again O Lord my Saviour.

Thank You for reviving me again; I rejoice in You.

Thank You for showing me Your unfailing love, O Lord and granting me Your salvation.

Thank You for giving me new life.

Thank You for Your glory which dwells within my home and for Your steadfast love and faithfulness that meet together there.

Thank You for Your mercy, goodness and peace that greet me with a kiss every morning.

Thank You for Your faithfulness that springs up from the ground and Your righteousness that looks down from heaven.

Thank You Lord for indeed You always give me what is good – You make me prosper and I yield an abundant harvest.

Thank You for pouring down Your blessings on me.

Thank You that righteousness goes as a herald before You and sets me in the way of Your steps.

I make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Let us Pray: Psalm 85” ©2026 June 21, 2026

 

Let us pray: Psalm 84

 

photo courtesy Chionsu Barclay

O Lord Almighty, my King and my God, You are the living God, You are the All-powerful Lord, You are the Omnipresent God and everywhere You are, is beautiful.

Thank You for the great blessings of abiding in Your house.

Thank You that I’m able to praise You.

I am greatly blessed because I depend on You for strength.

You have set my heart on a spiritual journey;

And as I pass through the valleys of life, You are there, making it a place of springs;

You also send the autumn rains to cover it with pools of blessings.

I go from strength to strength, till I appear before my God in Zion.

Thank You, Lord God All-powerful, for hearing my prayer and for listening to me.

Thank You for watching over me with favour.

I declare that one day is better in Your house than a thousand days anywhere else;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the homes of the wicked.

Thank You, my Lord God, for being my Sun and Shield, my Protector, my glorious King;

Thank You for blessing me with favour and honour;

Thank You for freely giving me every good thing, as I have been made right with You by the loving sacrifice of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ,

O Lord Almighty, thank You that as my trust in You increases, so do Your blessings increase in my life.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Let us pray: Psalm 84” ©2026 June 20, 2026

 

Accepting Injustice

 

Injustice seems to be the order of the day these days and too many persons, including people who claim to be Christians, simply turn a blind eye.

The world’s leaders are leading the charge as they are the primary perpetrators of the injustice we see being meted out to citizens and we do nothing. In our silence and failure to condemn such actions, we have become abettors.

Why are we, children of a just God, accepting injustice?

This is nothing new, centuries ago, the prophet Amos delivered a message to those who were perpetrating and accepting injustice. Pay attention to his words.

You people hate anyone who challenges injustice and speaks the whole truth in court. You have oppressed the poor and robbed them of their grain. And so you will not live in the fine stone houses you build or drink wine from the beautiful vineyards you plant. I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. You persecute good people, take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts. And so, keeping quiet in such evil times is the smart thing to do! – Amos 5:10-13 (GNT)

Yes, we keep quiet because we think it’s the smart thing to do. We think it’s the smart thing to do when our jobs are at stake. We think it’s the smart thing to do because we don’t want to ruffle any feathers. We think it’s the smart thing to do simply because we’re afraid to speak out, so, we keep quiet.

Amos continues,

Make it your aim to do what is right, not what is evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty really will be with you, as you claim he is. Hate what is evil, love what is right, and see that justice prevails in the courts. Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to the people of this nation who are still left alive. – Amos 5:14-15 (GNT)

Right here, in my little country, there is so much injustice but Christians and those who claim God’s sovereignty in their lives, are quiet. Not a word, not a whisper, just silence. And in some other countries we see Pastors, women and men of God, upholding and uplifting, almost genuflecting, leaders who engage in criminal behaviour, and persist in doing what is evil.

Amos continues,

And so the Sovereign Lord Almighty says, “There will be wailing and cries of sorrow in the city streets. Even farmers will be called to mourn the dead along with those who are paid to mourn. There will be wailing in all the vineyards. All this will take place because I am coming to punish you.” The Lord has spoken. – Amos 5:16-17 (GNT)

Perhaps you believe that because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, you do not fall into this category, that Amos’ words aren’t meant for you, and that maybe so but only if you sincerely repent. God still disciplines (see Hebrews 12:7-11). There are still consequences that result from the choices you make (see Galatians 6:7).

Amos continues,

How terrible it will be for you who long for the day of the Lord! What good will that day do you? For you it will be a day of darkness and not of light. It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear! Or like someone who comes home and puts his hand on the wall—only to be bitten by a snake! The day of the Lord will bring darkness and not light; it will be a day of gloom, without any brightness. – Amos 5:18-20 (GNT)

And then he says,

The Lord says, “I hate your religious festivals; I cannot stand them! When you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings. Stop your noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry. – Amos 5:21-24 (GNT)

Beloved, we cannot afford to ignore the context of these verses. As in Amos’ day, we are witnessing a system of justice that does not favour all people as it should; it is a prejudicial system of justice. Accepting injustice is aiding and abetting wrongdoing.

Remaining silent is a copout that weakens the fabric of trust in society. In a society that looks quite similar to our own, Amos went straight for the religious jugular, he did not mince God’s words.

No amount of fancy religiosity will negate the fact that we’ve kept quiet in the face of the injustice that is being doled out daily.

Let us repent for the part we have played and pray for the courage to protest injustice when we see it.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Accepting Injustice” ©2026 June 19, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Your Inner Room”

 

For a few weeks now, I’ve been feeling particularly stressed. This feeling is not a vague, wispy mist but more of a heavy, dense fog, a tangible pulsation in my head that comes and goes.

I have been guessing as to what could possibly be the cause, but I haven’t pinpointed any specific reason, and I imagine that my restless thoughts and disquieted soul are adding to this stress that I already feel.

Pray. Yes, that’s what I need to do. Pray and keep on praying, without ceasing is what Apostle Paul says to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. So, I sat alone on the balcony, early in the morning as I often do and, looking toward the heavens, let loose a barrage of prayers – asking and pleading, declaring and proclaiming, talking and talking and talking incessantly without ceasing.

Daylight…time for a cup of tea; I put the kettle on, got my cup, threw in an assortment of leaves, a flower, butterfly pea they call it, then I went back to sit, sip and be silent.

Then, a whisper, “I taught you how to pray.”

“Our Father who art in heaven…” I started but before I could continue, a whisper, “I taught you how to pray.”

Now at a loss, I thought, “What does that mean?”

Matthew chapter six! What did Jesus say in Matthew chapter six? Jesus’ sermon on the Mount. Not long after the Beatitudes, Jesus spoke of examining our motives and about giving with pure motives, not for showing off but secretly, then He taught us how to pray.

Reading verses 5 to 8, it dawned on me that Jesus gave very specific instructions before He gave the ultimate prayer sample which we fondly refer to as The Lord’s Prayer.

And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

Motives.

But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Secrecy.

And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 

Hypocrisy.

So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Psalm 139:4 says of God,

Even before I speak, you already know what I will say. (GNT)

If those four verses are the preamble to instructions on how to pray, then why do we recite what Jesus says in the next five verses together in public out loud?

Jesus, it appears, is teaching His audience and us how to prepare to connect to our Creator, the living Source of our lives.

when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret

As I read Matthew 6, more than anything else, your inner room piqued my interest and I wondered: Could there be more to The Lord’s Prayer than meets the eye? Has something been lost in our English translation?

What was I to understand but wasn’t getting? This deserved a deep dive.

The Greek word that would have been used in this verse is tameion – a hidden, private and very secure room in the centre of a house – the inner room, a room that’s located furthest from the street. In most cases, there were no windows in this room, so inside this inner room would be pitch black.

The inner room was reserved for the things you valued most but Jesus wasn’t giving a lecture on architecture or home construction, He was giving a direction; Jesus is telling us of a place where we must go if we are to achieve the deepest communion with God, the Father.

Your inner room is not a physical place but an internal space, somewhere within yourself. So, what is Jesus referring to?

Hearing that whisper, “I taught you how to pray.”, twice, made me think of the occasions in the bible when Jesus says “Verily, verily” – a call to pay attention because what comes next is important. I knew that I had to do some digging.

Digging deeper I came across a word that is used in English which was derived from a Greek word for “bridal bed” and by extension the “inner room” in a house for the bed; the word is thalamus. You must have heard this word before.

A thalamus is in the very centre of each of our brains; it serves as the main relay station for incoming sensory and motor signals; simply put it controls behaviour and is described as the brain's "inner room".

I almost fell to the floor. “Your inner room” that Jesus is referring to, is in your brain?

Beloved, this was a lot to digest, so I’m leaving it here for now, as there’s much more digging to be done, then I’ll be sure to share my findings with you.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Your inner room” ©2026 June 17, 2026