PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday made an emotional
plea for forgiveness when he officiated at the National Day of Prayer in Harare
yesterday, the Daily News reports.
In his surprisingly impassioned prayer at State House,
Mnangagwa — among other things — asked for clemency for the various misdeeds
that have dogged his administration, including corruption and human rights
violations.
The National Day of Prayer was held as Zimbabwe is in the
grip of a huge economic crisis — the worst in a decade, which has stirred
restlessness among long-suffering citizens.
In his invocation, Mnangagwa said some of the wrongdoings
that had been witnessed in the country had been committed unconsciously.
“Dear God, Jehovah and the only true God, Father of our
saviour Jesus Christ, I humble myself before you, together with the people of
Zimbabwe over whom you made me a servant leader.
“I yield my heart, we yield our hearts together as a nation
in faith and repentance to the rule and Lordship of the Son and our saviour,
Jesus Christ.
“We repent before you of every sin and way in which we have
displeased you and not glorified you alone as God,” Mnangagwa said.
“Forgive those who have worshipped idols and false gods.
Forgive us all our immorality and uncleanliness. Forgive us for every act of
injustice or corruption that has made the poor suffer or innocent to die.
“Forgive us as individuals and as a nation even for the
sins of which we may be unaware. Cleanse us with the blood of your son and our
Lord Jesus Christ,” Mnangagwa added.
Yesterday’s event was attended by several high profile
figures, including many of the country’s top clerics from the Zimbabwe Catholic
Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), the
Zimbabwe
Council of Churches (ZCC) and the Indigenous Zimbabwe
Inter-denominational Council of Churches, as well as the Zimbabwe National
Elders Forum.
What caught many by surprise was that Mnangagwa’s prayer
included many issues afflicting the country, which critics had said he was not
keen to focus on.
His plea for forgiveness on corruption and the suffering of
Zimbabweans also came at a time that his government has been blamed for
presiding over the country’s worst economic crisis in a decade.
It also came as his government has been mired in alleged
myriad corrupt deals, which have seen even some of his ministers being accused
of aiding and abetting graft in their respective portfolios.
Apart from corruption, Mnangagwa’s administration has also
been accused of mimicking the previous one of the late former president Robert
Mugabe, which was notorious for clamping down savagely on critics.
Among many other things, his government has courted serious
criticism for the August 2018 and January 2019 killings of civilians by
security forces — following violent demonstrations by agitated citizens.
Recently, the government’s commitment to observing and
upholding human rights in the country was also brought into sharp focus
following allegations of repression, including the alleged abduction and
torture of opponents.
Turning to the lethal coronavirus disease yesterday,
Mnangagwa also appealed to God for the protection of citizens, as the virus continues
to spread in the country.
“Lord as we face this grievous pestilence of the
coronavirus which has already killed some of our beloved ones.
“We make a petition to you according to Habakkuk 3 verse 2
which reads: ‘Lord, I have heard your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds,
Lord’.
“Repeat them in our day in our time make them known, in the
wrath, remember mercy. You are a merciful God, and we ask you today that you
forgive our sins and heal our land.
“Make this storm cease. Stop the advance of this virus and
the death it carries,” Mnangagwa said. We thank you that you gave us lead-time to prepare. But
now, Lord, grant us wisdom. Show us the steps to take to overcome this virus.
“We also ask that you show us a cure for this virus,” he
prayed further. The Word of God is clear that as the plagues of the last days
come upon the earth, people all over the world will choose to fall into one of
the two categories.
“Some, who humble themselves, acknowledge and glorify
Jehovah as God and seek his help, and others continue to defy the one true God
in unbelief.
“In Zimbabwe, we have chosen to be part of the first
category of those who humble themselves, acknowledging God and glorifying him …
We have chosen to repent and ask for his mercy, help, healing and wisdom in the
face of this deadly coronavirus pandemic,” Mnangagwa also said. Daily News
0 comments:
Post a Comment