Divine Appointments: A call to pray for the nation

wonderful name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I would like to commend you for the great job you are doing by informing the nation on various religious matters in your column DIVINE APPOINTMENTS which is featured in the Herald.
“I follow your diverse articles, and quite appreciate the same. God bless you . . . may the gracious Lord bless you as you keep the nation informed on pertinent religious issues through your column.”

According to Rev Dube, “The EFZ is a fel­lowship of over 262 Evangelical and Pente­costal denominations, para-church organisa­tions, ministries and Bible Schools of the Evangelical persuasion.”
Its mission is to mobilise, empower and network evangelicals for the accomplish­ment of the Lord Jesus’ Great Commission in Zim­babwe, and its vision is to build a net­work of evangelicals impacting the nation in all aspects of life for the fulfilment of the Great Commission. Rev Dube revealed that towards the end of last year, at an Annual General Meeting attended by over 600 church leaders, there was consensus that Christians be mobilised to pray for the nation.

“Under the rubric ‘A Call to Pray for the Nation – 12 days; 12 pillars in 2012′ ( 12:12:12), the EFZ under the leadership of its president Dr Goodwill Shana, together with the EFZ heads of denominations, mobilised the church to fast and pray for the nation from January 2 to 13, 2012.
“This year, the EFZ and its members included a 12-day period of prayer and fast­ing where on each day the church was exhorted to join hands in praying for the fol­lowing national foundational pillars of our society (which include):

Godliness: (Psalms 33:12 – “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord, the peo­ple He chose for His inheritance”; Proverbs 14:34 – “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people.”)
Prayer pointers

• Pray that Zimbabwe will be a God-fear­ing nation.

• Pray that leaders in politics, business, and community would be God-fearing.

• Pray that the draft constitution would reflect a reverence for God and for Christian values.

Family: The family is the foundation of the nation, as the family goes so will the nation (Psalms 11:3 – “If the foundation be broken what can the righteous do.”)
Prayer pointers

• Pray for God-fearing families (Deuteronomy 4:40; 12:28).
• Pray for the protection of the family (Genesis 45:7).
• Pray for good parents who will lead their families in righteousness, love and peace (Deuteronomy 6:7).

Community and culture
Prayer pointers
1. Pray for a God-fearing communities liv­ing on Christian values (Acts 17:2).
2.Pray for communities where churches are strong and vibrant.
3.Pray for communities that are united, compassionate and peace loving (James 3:18; Acts 4:32; Micah 6:8; 1Peter 3:8.)
Education: (Proverbs 19:2 – “Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good”. Hosea 4:6 – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee”.
Proverbs 24:3-5 “Through wisdom is a house built; and by understanding it is estab­lished . . . “
Prayer pointers
1. Pray for total restoration of education system; teachers; infrastructure; equipment.
2.Pray for educational curriculum that reflects our Christian values and educational institutions that are God-fearing.
3.Pray for schools and institutions that pro­vide an environment of peace, protection and wholesome learning experience.
Economic development: (Deuteronomy 8:17 -18)
If you start thinking to yourselves, “I did all this. And, all by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!” – well, think again. Remember that GOD, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors – as it is today. Joel 2:19 – GOD answered and spoke to his people, “Look, listen – I’m sending a gift: grain and wine and olive oil. The fast is over -eat your fill! I won’t expose you any longer to contempt among the pagans.
Prayer pointers
1. Pray for the restoration of the economy (Jeremiah 30:17; Joel 2:25; Deuteronomy 28:30).
2.Pray for the eradication of corruption (Amos 5:11; Micah 7:3).
3.Pray for employment creation;

Environment and agriculture:
(Luke 12:6) “Are not five sparrows sold for two far­things, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” Luke 12:42 – “And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise stew­ard, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?”

Prayer pointers
Pray for the preservation and restoration of national resources (Luke 12:42); mining; forests and vegetation; nature reserves; rivers and dams; land usage and City Council envi­rons.

Media and entertainment:
(Psalms 144:11-12) “Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh van­ity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.”

Prayer pointers
1.Pray for media and entertainment that does not lead the youth and the nation to be captives to immorality, violence and hea­thenism.
2.Pray for wholesome media and entertain­ment models and messages that cul­tivate val­ues of peace, tolerance, discipline and responsibility.
3.Pray for balanced non-partisan and non-inflammatory media reporting.
Health and quality of life: (Jeremiah 30:17 – “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds; because they all gave up on you and dismissed you as hopeless saith the LORD; because they called thee an outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.)

Prayer pointers
1.Pray for total restoration of health deliv­ery system.
2.Pray for prevention and eradication of cholera, typhoid and malaria (Psalm 91:10);
3.Pray for reduction of child and maternal mortality rates.
Governance and politics: (Proverbs 29:2; 1Timothy 2:1-3)

Prayer pointers
1. Pray for God fearing political leadership.
2. Pray for corruption free, ethical, honest political leadership.
3. Pray for stability of the Government of national unity.
Justice, law and order: (Psalms 82:3; Isa­iah 59:4)

Prayer pointers
1. Pray for total restoration of justice, law and order.
2.Pray for corruption-free, ethical, honest, impartial judges, magistrates, police, Attor­ney General’s office.

Science and Technology: (Proverbs 8:12) “I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.”

Prayer pointers
1. Pray for prioritisation of mathematics, science and technology teaching and train­ing;
2. Pray for faster adoption of 21st century innova­tions and technologies.
3. Pray for development of first class sci­ence technology institutions and personnel.
Reconciliation, peace and harmony (2 Corinthians 5:18)

Prayer pointers
1. Pray for reduction and eradication of politically motivated violence.
2. Pray for reduction and eradication of gender based violence.
3.Pray for reduction and eradication of child rape.

Rev Dube added, “As a Fellowship we believe that 2012 can be the beginning of years of blessing for Zimbabwe. We want the next 12 years to be years of Reconstruction, Restoration and Transformation.
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