Lucy Lim, a member of the St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney, was among those who led the prayers for rain to end the worst drought in Australia’s history.
Churches from various denominations held a Pray for Rain service at St. Andrew’s (Anglican) Cathedral in Sydney as the worst drought in Australia ‘s history continued to ravage farms, causing hardships to many farmers.
The service, conducted Aug. 15, was in response to an appeal for prayer by Rev. Chris Moroney, president of the New South Wales Council of Churches and senior minister at the cathedral.
“Our state desperately needs a season of good rain, and then good follow up rain. Only this will rescue the hard-pressed farm families and the towns and communities that are also deeply afflicted,” said Dean Phillip Jensen of Sydney. “It is only God who can send this rain to us.” He said that Sydney ‘s dams were less than 50 per cent full in August, but that it was better off than most of the state, where dam levels were down to 27 per cent capacity. “Ten per cent of properties in the West have no stock,” he added. “Some areas have had no crops for three to four years. Behind these statistics are shattered lives. Fifteen families a week are walking off their farms.”
Dean Jensen emphasized in his sermon that praying for rain might only be paying attention to a symptom of the situation in the nation. “We are a people in a dry land, living in materialistic rebellion against God. The drought reminds us to turn back to God,” he said.