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Last Monday night, the Canberra Declaration held a thanksgiving online Zoom prayer meeting for answered prayers for Cyclone Alfred. And what a fantastic night it was!

The Canberra Declaration is made up of people with many different backgrounds from all over Australia. We rub shoulders with brothers and sisters across this vast land. It makes the Canberra Declaration a special place to be.

On Monday night, we heard from several people who live in the areas that Cyclone Alfred impacted. Commissioner James Condon, founder of Australia Prays, revealed that there was much anxiety among those in their church and local community on the Sunshine Coast.

James revealed that while there was wind in his area, there was no damage. This “was amazing considering the forecast”, he said. “Tonight, I want to give thanks to God for His answer to prayer.”

Watch the Zoom recording below, which includes testimonies from those who live in the affected areas of Queensland and NSW!

Damage from Cyclone Alfred Far Less Than Predicted

While the tropical low storm that struck the mainland caused damage, the outcome was far, far less severe than anticipated. Read a report of answered prayer to Cyclone Alfred on The Daily Declaration here!

Cyclone Alfred was predicted to hit the coast as a category 2 cyclone. This was one category higher in severity than Cyclone Wanda (category 1), which caused massive damage, destroying 8,000 homes. Cyclone Wanda resulted in terrible flooding, leaving 16 dead in the ensuing 1974 floods.

When the call for prayer went out from Australia Prays and the Canberra Declaration on Wednesday, 5 March, it was on that very day that Cyclone Alfred changed.

Cyclone Alfred “stalled in its movement overnight” and was tracking “slower than initially anticipated”, as the BOM put it. It backtracked and looped around itself – twice – before stalling again and finally crossing the mainland on Saturday night. But when it did, it did so as a tropical low, not as a cyclone.

One local Queensland man remarked, “By a miracle, we dodged a bullet!”

In Lismore, NSW, a town devastated by the floods in 2022, many were very concerned and anxious about a repeat of the destruction three years ago.

As Vincent Bowyer shared last night,

“You could feel the horror, the stress [from people].”

“But I couldn’t help but reminisce about Jesus asleep in the boat during the storm. Jesus is fast asleep because He is so in trust with the Lord. That was our focus in Lismore for prayer, to bring that peace.”

“And it was amazing. You could see the change [in people]. It was a real miracle. There were so many small miracles.”

The river in Lismore rose to threatening levels – but never tipped over the levees. Flood waters never crossed into the Lismore CBD. This is an incredible answer to prayer!

The One Who Calmed the Storm

Jesus’ disciple Matthew, a tax collector, remembered a time when Jesus stopped a storm. In Matthew 8:23–27, we read that,

“Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves.”

“But Jesus kept sleeping. So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to die!’”

“He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”

Thank You for Your Prayers – But Let’s Keep Praying

Repeated testimonies from last night recorded how, instead of worry and anxiety, so many had great calm. To God be the glory!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for the Cyclone Alfred situation. Thank you, thank you, thank you! God heard our prayers!

On Christmas Eve in 1974, Cyclone Tracey hit Darwin with tremendous ferocity. Indigenous music minister and preacher Robyn Beezley, who lives in the Tweed in northern NSW, features toward the end of the above video. She tells her inspiring story of miraculously surviving Cyclone Tracey after her dad commanded the roof of their house to come back down!

Sadly, Robyn lost her beloved husband, Anthony Beezley, through a long-standing sickness last Wednesday. Robyn’s daughter has organised a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs for her husband and to help with her depleted resources. Robyn is a longtime friend of the Canberra Declaration. You can give here.

Let us also keep praying for those who did face damage and for the family of the man who drowned near Dorrigo, NSW. While the Cyclone was far less severe than predicted, the cleanup and repairs for many people will continue for some time.

Yours for praising the One who calms the storm,

Samuel Hartwich & Warwick Marsh