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Scrolling through the internet is a blessing and a curse. There are many people who stand beside the Australian farmers and small-town businesses during this time of intense drought. These posts lift you, make you smile and give you courage to keep going. There are also those who blame, laugh and tell us that our situation is hopeless. The ones who hurt the most are those who laugh at the possibility that God is real and will one day send rain on this thirsty land. These posts can bring floods of tears, sending you into the depths of despair.

God used these people to challenge me, today. While I was tempted to give some of these people the angry icon, (God forgive me please) I scrolled past, shook my head and ignored them.

A small quiet voice asked me, “What do I want you to do for those people — those who curse you? You have no idea of what they have been through that has shaped their lives, thinking patterns and emotional reactions.”

“But I say unto you,
Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father
Which is in Heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise
on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
~ Matthew 5:44-45

As I try to be faithful to my Lord, I started that process of praying for all those who had made any comments that I didn’t agree with.

To those people I say, please forgive me for not understanding your point of view. I will continue to pray for you. I thank those who are praying for us, the Australian farmers, small town residents and the bush in general.

Prayer

Lord, You are the Lord of Lords. We thank You for the way You have sustained us during this time of desperate need for rain.

We pray for those who do not believe You exist. We pray that You will bless them in a special way with no strings attached, Lord. I’m not asking that they will be able sympathise with us, that they will become friends with our farmers, but Lord, the only thing that I ask that they will too will know that You are the Lord of Lords, and that they are loved by You no matter what they have been through at the hands of the one who would like to ruin this world. Forgive us for not seeing them as You see them.

Lord, we praise You for those who stand beside us, and pray with us for all those going through times of trial. May You be glorified. Amen.

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