You up for a bout with drought?

Another heat alert... And we all groan to get through another such day.  Our poor countryside suffers, too.

Drought. Now we know what it is like, it's all around us and apparently drying up most of Europe. But strange as it may seem to you, there are steps we can take, personally, and as nations. And not just to reduce the use of water, though we should already be there by now.

When all is said, it is time for prayer. Some of you have no doubt begun the assault on heaven on behalf of your land. 

Let's all, all who believe in a God who is not only able, but ready to heal our land, beg Him to bring those refreshing rains we have long needed.  I am not speaking of spiritual showers of blessings here, though they are obviously needed too, but the wet variety that can bring life back to the parched soil and exposed riverbeds.

Nature needs healing. And let's not forget that man was put in charge of nature from the very beginning! (Genesis 2:15.)

Can we pray for such a thing? Yes! What 'qualifies' us for that task? Have a look:

The first thing you notice is our part:

• Personal call for those of God, HIS people,
• Humble selves before God,
• Pray,
• Seek His face,
• Turn from wicked ways.

Yes! We can know we are His. Did you also notice in that verse that our spiritual state is part of what happens in our land?

But we, the blessed ones, are the ones to take the next steps.  WE must turn from the sin we have got entangled in and encourage others to do the same.  Repenting is not just for the lost!  

Then, humbling ourselves, we seek His face, then pray.  These are not just one thing.  Seeking God takes time and effort, so does repentence... and prayer.  Are we willing to take our precious time from other pursuits? 

Then, we take responsibility for both the problem AND the action.  Drought might be a tool that God is using to teach our nations.  There is that possibility, but in prayer we will learn.

Think like Daniel, who was a prisoner in Babylon...He was only a boy when taken away from home.  Yet he was one of the people of Israel and as a leader in a pagan land, recognized the role he could play—intercession for the nation. See Daniel, chapter 9. He did all those above steps for his nation, knowing that there was a promise, he relied on it and the God of promises to bring it about.

Read the story!  God DID answer his prayers too, and somehow He wanted the involvement of His people to do it.  He still does that.  And it is our turn...

"But I am I able to pray like that?"  you ask.

We are the chosen ones of God if we are children of God, believing in His grace and walking after Him.

Bring your fellowships into this calling too.  Remember, it is HIS promise for our lands.

May the Holy Spirit lead you to see what YOU can do for your nation and for all the countries where HIS children reside on this hot, dry, beleaguered continent!