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Your purpose and prayer

Opinion & Analysis
LAST month I did a piece on purpose or calling. I respond here to some of the questions brought to my attention. Knowing your purpose in life is one of the essential pillars of success.

Devotion column: Erasmus Makarimayi

LAST month I did a piece on purpose or calling. I respond here to some of the questions brought to my attention. Knowing your purpose in life is one of the essential pillars of success.

The conviction of awareness of where to go, how to get there, why going there and that you have to go there is liberating. Many casually talk about their dreams and aspirations. There’s general restraint from bold assertion in order to leave room for fate. This is the door that brings in doubt and double mindedness. If you have already discovered your talent and know your dominant gift, your calling is clear. What’s left is to declare your course of life without fear and carve it out by prayer and your destiny will fall into place.

While herding cattle or playing in the streets as children, some would declare that they were going to be doctors, pilots, lawyers, accountants, sportspeople and many other professions. With zeal, passion and determination they pursued studies attendant to their dreams. Coupled with discipline, you have to sharpen your skills in your chosen field of human endeavour. There are many things to attend to in order to realise your aspirations, but in this installment I will confine myself to one of them: Prayer.

Many have heard that through prayer and by prayer mountains are moved, but are failing to move anthills. As we shall establish, any successful venture, undertaking, initiative or programme has to be preceded by prayer so that it lasts. While patience, perseverance and persistence are necessary virtues, ultimately your staying power relies on prayer. Through consecration in prayer, your energy and zeal are renewed. You may say that you didn’t pray, it just happened on its own, that’s the grace of God. It would be beneficial to know that there are also believers who are out there calling on God day and night. Your parents, grandparents or guardians were in the prayer closet for it to materialise. Prayer is the conduit between the invisible realm of God and the domain of woman and man. It’s the womb that births our aspirations.

I shall use the prophet Elijah as a case study. 1 Kings 17:1 records: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” This is the earliest encounter we have with this great prophet in the Bible. His word that he spoke to King Ahab stood. There was drought for three and half years. It’s on this premise that I ask you to speak your vision as you step on the stage of life. This is where many are afraid of being bewitched, thus want to play their cards close to their chests. A bold statement of purpose and intent is different from being talkative. Although the devil doesn’t know what’s hidden in your heart, you may also want to know that he already knows that you want to succeed. You are better off not magnifying Satan’s intent, but your intent.

After Elijah openly declared his desire, he went ahead and supported it by prayer. God was not going to renege on His promises, but Elijah needed to solidify himself in the Word. James 5:17-18 picks up the story: “[17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” If you read the story from 1 Kings only, the conclusion is that he just spoke the word and sealed the verdict. As a follower of this column you are now aware from our teaching that the Bible has to be read and interpreted in toto from the Old to the New Testaments.

After declaring that there was going to be no rain, he reclined to a prayer of faith so that his words might come to pass. He supported his words with prayer. This is where you deal with all your fears and doubts. The devil will intimidate you suggesting that you were overzealous and that you didn’t speak under the inspiration of God. Satan will persuade you to withdraw your conviction.

Let me assure you that God is committed to your destiny, the question is, are you committed to it? He has good thoughts for you. He loves you more than you love yourself.

Speak out your goal and confirm it by prayer. That’s the good fight of faith. As we stay in prayer, right attitudes are inculcated in us to partake of the abundance of God. As you pray, you are not trying to change God’s mind or persuade Him, but you are contending with your doubts. Prayer is not a lecture to God, but resonance in your spirit of God’s will for your life. Let me close with the words of Jesus in Mark 11:24: “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Be free to chart your course and open up to the divine call upon your life. Grace and peace be multiplied to you through knowledge.

All Bible quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise stated.

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