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Prayer for Rain. Every Thursday 12 noon 18th October 2007 At the Wesleyan Methodist Church Wangaratta, over the past six weeks God has been impressing on people the need to heed his call in 2 Chronicles 7: 14. First it was Jane who felt God was reminding her of this verse and she wondered what we should do. Then a couple of weeks later John who was leading said he felt God pointing him to this verse. In particular the need for "my people" to humble themselves and pray.
Now it is Jennie's turn. Hello friends, I was talking to a farmer friend in North East Vic yesterday who mentioned that their crops are not going to be worth anything unless they get some rain in the next 1-2 weeks. As you all know our land is in desperate need of rain and for some farmers this season is their last chance at staying afloat. As I was vacuuming the house ( you never know when God might speak!) I felt God reminding me of a Bible verse - I found it in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14. (God speaking to Solomon): "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." had been thinking that perhaps if more people turned to God (ie. non-christians) and prayed then maybe God would send rain.
Then I realised that 2 Chronicles says that "if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray..." - that's me, that's us as Christians. I feel I have not been faithful in my prayers (for rain, as well as in other areas) and felt God speaking to me about this. I'm sure many of you have been praying that God would send rain. I just want to encourage you to keep on praying, as I have been challenged too. Certainly pray as often as you can, but I was hoping that on Thursday (18th Oct 2007) we could all pray together at 12 noon. Obviously we cannot all get together physically, but wherever you are on that day at that time, could you spend a few minutes to join in spirit as God's people and humbly ask God in his love and mercy to send rain on this land - in the North East and across this nation where it is needed. This email is not something I have ever done before nor feel very comfortable doing. I did start thinking that perhaps I would just pray myself and not send this to you all, but I do feel God challenging me to do this and if I don't then perhaps I've been somehow disobedient to His call. So let us thank our great God for all He has given us and for the hope we have in Him. Yours in Christ Jesus, Jennie What a great thought, With God calling three times, I believe that it is a call for continuing action, let us not stop at Thursday the 18th, but make every Thursday at 12 noon a time to pray for rain until we have to pray for it to stop. Print this out and stick it on your fridge. Please send this email to all your Christian friends and let us be obedient to God.
This response was received on the 19th October 2007 10.30am Hey Michael, It is amazing that you should send this to me today. In the beginning of the year when we were getting a lot of rain and everyone was forecasting an end to the drought, Doug Grant felt God say to him that it wasn’t and that he was to call our church to pray for rain on Oct 19th. That is why I cancelled my Tupperware party for tonight – so that I and the ladies that I invited could go and pray for rain. I really do believe that something significant is going to happen. God not only calls us to humble ourselves and pray – but he also puts the burden on our hearts to pray when that time is right. This email is very encouraging. God is stirring his people to pray and that can only mean one thing – we can pray in confidence that He will answer our prayers and the rain WILL come. I will pass this on. JenE
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