Prayers for Australia in the Bushfire crisis

Prayers in the Bushfire crisis for Australia

Australia is in the midst of a devastating and unprecedented bushfire season. This comes at a time when much of our country is in drought and after a long hot summer. Over 10 million hectares has been burnt, lives have been lost, communities, livestock and native animals destroyed.

A prayer for the Australian Bushfire Crisis - By NSW & ACT Baptists Prayer Coordinator, Carolyn Altman

Almighty God,

We are powerless to stop these bushfires that are crippling our nation, that are turning day into night, that are making widows and orphans, that are destroying homes, lives and businesses, and that are decimating our wildlife, our livestock and our crops. But Lord, we remember that You have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm, and nothing is too hard for you.

So, Father, we ask in Jesus’ name that You will hear and answer our cries for help and pray that You will send rain, because that is the only thing that will put out all these fires.

We pray Father for our Pastors, Churches, Chaplains and Pastoral Carers that are in the midst of these fire-ravaged communities. They need Your special strength, grace, peace and comfort that can only come from You, as many of them need to care for others while also suffering their own losses. May they be able to show the love of Jesus to those in their community, and may we uphold them with our prayers and our support in any way they ask us to.

Lord, we ask for a special blessing and a ring of protection upon all of those people that have, and are continuing to, put their lives on the line fighting fires on our behalf. We pray that You will keep them safe and give them strength and stamina to keep fighting.

Please also bless those that are caring for our injured wildlife and give them the emotional strength to care for these suffering creatures. Dr Byron Smith (Common Grace) is offering this prayer for use or adaptation in your devotions and church worship.

Father God, we ask that You comfort those that have lost so much, and that we as Your children will be Your hands and Your feet to those that need help in putting their broken lives back together.

Please don’t let us in the weeks and months to come, just get back on the treadmill of life and forget those that have suffered so much. Please draw us together all around this special nation of Australia, to continue to pray for Your Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, and to care for those that are suffering. Beauty

Creator of life, this beautiful land cries out. For the disfigured splendour of charred forests, blackened soil, ashen skies, we grieve. For the hundreds of millions of creatures that perished in smoke and flame, for the millions more who emerge after the inferno to starvation or predation, for the twisted, frayed and torn strands of ecosystems that may never recover, we mourn. For smoke-filled lungs, dread-filled hours, anxiety-filled evacuations, for ruined livelihoods, incinerated For sandwiches made, shelter provided, funds donated, we are grateful.

For accurate reporting, insightful forecasts, skilful logistics, we acknowledge our debt.

Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy.

Justice

Spirit of truth, your justice flows like water onto parched soil.

For too long, our notions of prosperity have been dominated by theft, destruction and fire: stolen land, poisoned rivers, dirty fuels. May we rediscover true wealth in mutual trust and care, in treasured

We close Almighty God, with once again asking You to send droughtbreaking rain to cleanse our country and put out every single one of these fires.

Thank you Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray.

sacred sites, smouldering homes, for bereaved families, inflicted trauma, gutted dreams, we weep.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Generosity

Amen Jesus our brother, all generosity echoes your own.

For the dangerous labour of firefighters, for the kindness of strangers, for neighbourly bonds reforged in calamity, we offer thanks. stories and places, in clean water and air. May justice fall like rain, pouring like grace on the tongues of the poor, settling like ash in the mouths of those who profit from lies. Let ancient wisdom be respected, careful science heeded, the worship of money rejected.

May we truthfully embrace our full history, honestly acknowledge our present crises, humbly nurture a shared future.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.