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Gathered in my Name: A Family that Prays Together, Stays Together

Years back, inside the rundown hostels of Mbare suburb, a family sat in front of a small black and white TV, ready to watch their favourate ...

Years back, inside the rundown hostels of Mbare suburb, a family sat in front of a small black and white TV, ready to watch their favourate evening show. 

While the parents and other senior family members comfortably occupied the few chairs, the children sat on the floor, eagerly waiting for the adventure.

Before watching the show, the mother had to check on everyone’s homework. “If you haven’t finished your homework, you are not going to sit on the television and watch anything, so make sure you have done everything,” the mother said. “As soon as you finish up, you can sit down and join the rest of the family to watch the show.”

For them, this was a precious family moment to get entertained in a suburb where leisure was a rare luxury. On that day, due to the popularity of the TV programme, some friends, from friends who didn’t own a TV, had visited, and it was time to wait. As the program commenced, shrills of joy and eagerness filled the tiny sitting room, igniting a frenzy, after a day of work and school.

As the expectation grew, with few seconds to start, the screen suddenly went blank, abruptly ending their hopes. In a flash, the enthusiasm turned into anger. With expressions of irritation, the mother switched off the TV, gathered her children inside the room to start praying. 

As the unforeseen prayer session went on, neighbours from adjacent rooms came in, attracted by the prayers. Soon, the anger of the missed TV show was forgotten, replaced by the power of prayer.

Gathered in my Name: A Family that Prays Together, Stays Together

Over time, whenever the TV cut off, depriving them of their personal enjoyment, the family started praying and this, according to Elder Kerina Chizunguza, one of the family members, and it later became part of their lifestyle. 

“Every time the TV turned off, we desperately smacked it, in a bid to revive it, but with little or no success. By then, my mother would tell us to gather for a prayer and from then on, I learnt to live a life of prayer, praising and worshiping God in every situation.”

In the above scenario, praying together had the ability to bond family members, while it also attracted other participants, who bring in their respective experiences, creating a common platform for learning and experiencing the move of God as one family. The group prayers became a meditation on the life of Christ and through them, congregates got better at being a family.

From her experience, praying together was the most healing thing that they ever did for each other during that difficult time, without the TV show. Beyond grace and spiritual formation, it was simply unifying. Similarly, in our daily lives, we see more of this in various social events, where fans support the same team and are inspired by the same colours, oneness and shared beliefs.

A similar, yet bigger encounter can be expected during the forthcoming yearly Tiyambuke International Christian Convention (TICC) hosted by Glory Ministries and the founders, Apostle Pride and Pastor Anna Sibiya, from August 26-31 at the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex in Zengeza 4. Themed: Mega Exploits, the conference is a family gathering for Christians to meet, learn and encounter God’s presence under the feet of His servants.

Elder Chizunguza’s personal story, what her family had planned to be a day of fun and laughter, was finally turned into an encounter with the Holy Spirit. “These prayer meetings, sometimes initiated by the faulty TV, shaped my prayer life and got me closer to God in such difficult and trying times of my life.”


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