Please Pray for Australia

"Multiple very dangerous, very powerful fires can be seen across NENSW with some intensifying over SEQLD. The smoke plumes are some of the largest Ive ever seen for Australia with some of the plumes pushing as far as 600-700km from their point of origin!" - Higgins Storm Chasing. Photo: RMMB/CIRA

Psalm 145:8-9 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. 

I don't usually use this blog to ask specific prayer requests, as my long time readers will know. However, I have decided to ask for prayer about the terrible bushfires in Australia. As some of you know, we have family and friends in Australia, and some of them live in areas that could be threatened by fires. But, I'm burdened about the seriousness of the situation there in general, not just from a personal interest. I realize California also needs prayer, so I mention it in passing, but in Australia they are literally running out of manpower to control the situation. Their firefighters have also been working hard for some time now.

We had already been praying for rain for our family and others there for some time. Many people in Queensland get their water from collection systems and they are completely dependent on rain fall for their water. In extremities they may order water brought in with a truck, but this is an expense and also there may be a wait period since so many people are ordering water at present. With the fires burning wildly in some areas this poses an even more serious problem as water tanks of local people may be empty or nearly so and wells (boreholes) may be few and far between.

My sister-in-law wrote:

"Queensland and NSW [New South Wales] are suffering terribly under extremely dry (tinder-box) conditions with incredibly bad bushfires destroying people's properties - fire-fighters are stretched so thin that some fires aren't being managed at all because there's not enough people to take care of it all - residents are being ignored and left without help because there is no help to be had.  We are in such desperate need of rain.  Please, please pray... 

The forecast is for more winds coming up over the next week (we've been having a lot of burning hot, windy weather already).  Conditions are ripe for more fires."

If you are on Facebook you can go here to read about this dire situation: https://www.facebook.com/HigginsStormChasing/ Among many other amazing and tragic things, there is a story of one town that has been 80% destroyed! Some people have literally escaped with the clothes on their backs and nothing else. [There have been requests for donations, but please use good judgment and do some research before you do something like that. I don't know anything about the people involved or whether they are to be trusted.]

I know there are Christians in these areas. My own family members live in Queensland and they have other Christian friends and family around a large-ish area.

Please keep this situation in prayer and also pray for rain for the affected areas. I especially would ask prayer for the testimonies of the believers there who have opportunity to minister to others through these terrible events. Pray that precious souls will be brought into the fold through this.

Psalm 117:1-2 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.