Praying for Rain.

In mid April, John Howard called for national prayer for rain. We were told that unless there was a certain amount of rain in the worst drought affected areas, like the Mallee, in the next ten days, then irrigation would have to be cut off. Many farming operations would be closed down, and the threat of us subsisting on canned or frozen fruit and veg motivated many to pray. Well, perhaps it was the fact that our county's leader was asking his people to pray - either way, many many Christians prayed

And the rain came down, too. We must of course admit that this is part of the traitional wet season in southern Australia. The last ten years though, we've been faced with a pretty severe drought. Yes, drought happens in Australia. It always has, and is part of our national identity

"I love a sunburnt country,
a land of sweeping plains,
of rugged mountain ranges,
of droughts and flooding rains"

http://www.imagesaustralia.com/mycountry.htm

This one has done some hugh harm to our agriculture and our water supplies aren't doing really well either. At some stage in the cycle of things, drought will ease. We should be encouraged - through March and april we have acheived average rain - not drought average, proper average.
So weather this was just the time for rain, or our prayers have made a difference, well God only knows.

Partly as a respone to John Howard's call, Tuesday was declared by some to be 'National Rain Day'.
National Rain Day founder John McCallum said it was not about praying for rain, but about visualising the rain itself. He said he was responding to Prime Minister John Howard's calls last month for Australians to pray for rain. "Just imagining the experience of rain, that attracts the rain," he said. "If we can get more than 1 per cent of Australians doing that then outcomes will be very positive."

Well I watched the news that night to see small groups of people gathering in the nation's capitals to 'positively think' for rain. They even brought yellow plastic raincoats and umbrellas, as they gathere, held hands and visualised the rain. If our prayers for rain really made a difference, we can't be sure. At least it rained then, as much as we needed and where we needed it. Since Tuesday - not a drop.