A synergy between the prophetic and political will give Zimbabwe a leg up

By Bishop Dave Chikosi

I was very delighted when a friend brought to my attention a Feb 5, 2013 report by the Sunday Mail entitled “Gono gives ‘miracle money’ green light.”

My friend was quite adamant that the Reserve Bank Governor called this “peace” conference with the prophets after reading my article on Nehanda Radio arguing that miracle money was a boon, not a bane, to the national economy (see https://nehandaradio.com/2013/01/28/miracle-money-and-monetary-systems-are-not-strange-bedfellows/)

Albeit Einstein once said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Mr Einstein also said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” The truth of the matter is that our politicians and economists have had a go at trying to solve the Zimbabwe conundrum for 33 years now. Sadly we don’t have much to show for all their courageous (and sometimes cowardly) efforts.

We are simply not going to be able to solve Zimbabwe’s problems at the same level of political consciousness that created them. It’s insanity to do the same thing for 33 odd years and expect different results. It’s time we as Zimbabweans realize the need to marshal every force in our universe that has the potential to advance the cause of our beloved nation. We need to stop drawing circles that include some forces while at the same time shutting others out.

The reason I was delighted by the Sunday Mail report is because I thought it represents a small step by the political to synergize with the prophetic. This is never a bad thing. In fact it’s a good thing. Prophets see future events and can therefore be a national asset. This is why the kings of ancient Israel found them indispensable in times of national crisis. During times of war or famine (recession) politicians turned to the prophets to solicit their views.

While the prophets never allowed themselves to be sucked into partisan politics and demagoguery, they nevertheless made themselves available to be consulted by whoever happened to be in power at the time. This is as it should be. There are events and calamities that should never take a nation by surprise, if that nation has functional, anointed prophets. Their function in such cases is to see the event from afar and help prepare the nation for it.

The ancient nation of Israel, under King Joram, once went through a very bad economic recession. The town of Samaria was besieged militarily by Syria such that no one could come in or go out. The shortages caused by the Syrian blockade of Samaria became so severe that the Israelites were buying and selling a donkey’s head for two pounds of silver and a half-pint of dove manure for two ounces of silver!

King Joram did not know how bad the recession in his own country was until he was called upon to adjudicate a bizarre legal battle between two women. The two had entered a contract to cannibalize their own children. Now there had been a breach of contract. The plaintiff, in good faith, had given up her son for food for both parties and their households. But the defendant was now refusing to fulfill her part of the deal. The plaintiff wanted “justice.”

Naturally King Joram is horrified at the inhumanity of the whole affair. He cannot believe the depths to which his subjects have sunk just in order to survive. He rips off his clothes and utters a very strange vow. He says: “May God strike me and even kill me if I don’t separate Elisha’s head from his shoulders this very day” (2 King 6:31).

Now that is weird. What in the world has Elisha got to do with this bizarre lawsuit before you O king? Everything. King Joram was smarter than most politicians. He knew that nothing happens by accident. He knew that “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, so a curse without cause does not alight.” (Prov 26:2). There is a spiritual reason for this economic meltdown. Elisha must know the reason but he hasn’t come forward to tell us what’s going on. How can the prophet sit in his house and allow this craziness to continue without talking to his God and doing something about it?

This was a smart king. He was smart enough to know that the horror of cannibalism he was witnessing was but the manifestation of a much deeper horror in the life of Israel – the horror of national apostasy. Only one man could alleviate the situation. The king is so convinced of this to the extent that he readily lays the blame for the whole national economic crisis at the feet of the man of God.

Admittedly, Zimbabwe’s economic crisis has not reached the levels of cannibalism. But poverty and unemployment remain unacceptably high. Capacity utilization in the manufacturing sector is nowhere near what it ought to be. The high debt overhang is worrisome. All of this has resulted in an unacceptable social and economic marginalization of the weakest and most vulnerable members of society.

The good politicians and economists have tried their level best, while the unscrupulous ones have done their worst by simply siphoning the little wealth that the nation has and amass it for themselves. The culture of corruption is almost endemic now. The whole thing is simply unsustainable. We must try a new tack.

We cannot solve these problems at the same level they were created. Give the prophets a chance. Ask them to go enquire from their God what aileth the nation. Let them weep between the porch and the altar. Let them fast and pray. Then let them come back and make their national contribution like everyone else. Their insights are more valuable than that of most of those who currently advise our leaders. A win-win relationship is in the interest of everybody.

When King Joram showed up at Elisha’s door, the king got a word from the man of God. “This is what the LORD says: By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, five quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and ten quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver” (2 Kings 7:1) 

Samaria got a leg up. So can Zimbabwe. Let’s talk.