NEW NATIONAL INITIATIVE TO SEEK THE FACE OF GOD FOR THE DROUGHT
Source: Australian Prayer Network
With peoples minds again focused on the drought as a result of increased media coverage we believe it is now the right time to address this issue more thoroughly.
The Australian Prayer Network has been encouraging prayer and organising seasons of prayer for the breaking of the drought for some 4 years now. In 2003 when the drought at that time was said to have been at its worst we mobilised, with the help of other networks, up to 100,000 people in a Year of Prayer for Church and Nation which focused on repentance and issues we were facing as a nation, including the drought. Whilst some good rain fell in some areas during that year the prayer did not break the drought. Indeed the word of the Lord that came through was "give thanks to me in all circumstances".
In July/August 2005, again with help of other organisations, we called the praying people of our nation to a season of 40 days of prayer, repentance and fasting. This had an impact on the drought situation with the best rains for many years falling in most parts of the nation, with many previously declared drought areas being able to be taken off that list. However the rains stopped and have not returned to any great degree since the conclusion of that season of prayer.
Since then we are aware of localised calls to prayer which have also brought rain for a short period in those areas to be followed by no further rain once the prayer stopped. In other words short term relief but no long term change to a steadily deteriorating situation.
We believe this indicates that we are failing to address the issues that God is wanting us to see and deal with as His people. Every time the issue of the drought is raised the obvious cry goes up for us to "pray for rain". As a Network we believe God is looking for a much greater and deeper response from us rather than simply treating Him as one who is there simply to meet our needs.
We believe therefore that we must take a different course of action. We are calling on Christians across the country to join us in a 40 day period of "Seeking the Face of God". This is not a season to pray for rain, although if you feel led to do that we have no objection, but rather a period where together we seek to understand "why He has shut up the heavens so that there is no rain" (2 Chron 7:13). Only when this understanding comes will we be able to deal with the underlying issues that will break the drought rather than get a temporary respite that lasts only for a matter of weeks before we are in a worse situation again. I believe that God in His mercy, once he sees our hearts are turning towards Him, may in fact send rain even during this proposed 40 day season whether we specifically ask for it or not.
The Australian Prayer Network has been encouraging prayer and organising seasons of prayer for the breaking of the drought for some 4 years now. In 2003 when the drought at that time was said to have been at its worst we mobilised, with the help of other networks, up to 100,000 people in a Year of Prayer for Church and Nation which focused on repentance and issues we were facing as a nation, including the drought. Whilst some good rain fell in some areas during that year the prayer did not break the drought. Indeed the word of the Lord that came through was "give thanks to me in all circumstances".
In July/August 2005, again with help of other organisations, we called the praying people of our nation to a season of 40 days of prayer, repentance and fasting. This had an impact on the drought situation with the best rains for many years falling in most parts of the nation, with many previously declared drought areas being able to be taken off that list. However the rains stopped and have not returned to any great degree since the conclusion of that season of prayer.
Since then we are aware of localised calls to prayer which have also brought rain for a short period in those areas to be followed by no further rain once the prayer stopped. In other words short term relief but no long term change to a steadily deteriorating situation.
We believe this indicates that we are failing to address the issues that God is wanting us to see and deal with as His people. Every time the issue of the drought is raised the obvious cry goes up for us to "pray for rain". As a Network we believe God is looking for a much greater and deeper response from us rather than simply treating Him as one who is there simply to meet our needs.
We believe therefore that we must take a different course of action. We are calling on Christians across the country to join us in a 40 day period of "Seeking the Face of God". This is not a season to pray for rain, although if you feel led to do that we have no objection, but rather a period where together we seek to understand "why He has shut up the heavens so that there is no rain" (2 Chron 7:13). Only when this understanding comes will we be able to deal with the underlying issues that will break the drought rather than get a temporary respite that lasts only for a matter of weeks before we are in a worse situation again. I believe that God in His mercy, once he sees our hearts are turning towards Him, may in fact send rain even during this proposed 40 day season whether we specifically ask for it or not.
We are proposing that as from next Sunday 22nd October through until the 30th November that we as individuals, in prayer groups and in Churches across our nation (several thousand Churches and Prayer Groups in our network alone will receive this email) we commit to seek the face of God every day for 40 days enquiring of Him why the heavens have been shut up. As the Lord brings revelation understanding we invite you to email us (apn@ausprayernet.org.au) with that revelation so that we can corporately hear the mind of the Lord as it is revealed to us individually.
Due to the large number of emails we expect to receive we will not reply to or enter into correspondence on any of them, but we will collate them to obtain an understanding of what God is saying to us in the season of seeking Him and issue a report of the results sometime around mid December. The APN leadership will then seek the Lord as to how He would have us respond as His people to what He says to us. We would expect that would lead to an appropriate national response that we would invite all Australians of faith to participate in.
In responding can we emphasise that we do not want everyone's opinion or theory as to why we are in the worst drought we have ever experienced as a nation. We know there are physical reasons why there is a drought. Things such as "global warming" or "El Nino's" and the like, but we must remember that God will often use natural processes which He controls to gain the attention of, and speak to, His people.
As we seek God's face the best way to discern between what is an opinion and what is a word from God is to ask Him to speak to us through His word. This means that we are looking for Him to speak to us through a scripture together with a revelation of what the scripture means in the context of the drought.
Will you join us? Please feel free to pass this to others who may otherwise be unaware of our call. This is a unique attempt to hear what God is saying to us as a nation through the praying people of our Nation.
Brian Pickering
National Coordinator
Australian Prayer Network