When we woke on Tuesday morning, we were bracing for a fire disaster in the almost-unprecedented ‘catastrophic’ fire conditions in Jamberoo and our surrounds.

Before I joined my RFS compatriots at our local station to stand by for a fire call, I shared on Facebook a prayer for our troubled country which was written by Archbishop Glenn Davies.

The prayer said, “Father we pray, in your mercy, restrain the forces of nature from creating catastrophic damage; in your mercy protect human life.”

As we patrolled the roads and lanes of our valley in our RFS tanker, scanning the horizons for any sign of smoke, we listened to the weather forecast climb from severe to extreme.

I kept praying, and you know what? Nothing happened.

Even though the trees bent over from the high winds, and the temperature rose to high 30’s, and the humidity fell to single figures, there were no fires, no damage, and most importantly, no loss of life.

God powerfully answered our prayers, and we have so much to rejoice for.

At times like this where we are spared from disaster we can be tempted to think that nothing spectacular happened: after all, it’s just another day without a terrible fire.

But as we asked, God has answered.

Yet, as we give thanks to God for powerfully and mercifully sparing the Illawarra from fire destruction, there are many thousands of people suffering as we speak from the effects of fire in our land.

Knowing how wonderfully God answered prayer on Tuesday in our valley we can confidently pray that God will protect property and lives in the coming days and weeks.

And above all, that whatever happens, we might find comfort in the Lord who is powerful, merciful and gracious.

JODIE McNEILL

Kanye West is one of the world’s most famous personalities, known not only for his music, fashion and politics, but also for his famous wife, Kim Kardashian.

This week Kanye released an album with the title ‘JESUS IS KING’, where he sings with great honesty and passion about his newfound Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

News of his conversion has caused a stir around the world, with both Christians and non-Christians expressing some scepticism about the authenticity of his new faith.

Yet the more that I’ve heard him speak this week, and the more I’ve listened to this album, the more I’m blown away by his passion for Jesus.

The man who once regarded himself as god has now made an unblushing declaration that Jesus is king, not Kanye.

His radical transformation reminded me of the conversion of the Apostle Paul, who went from being one of the Christianity’s most violent critics, to become its greatest advocate and proclaimer.

When Paul was converted, many of the Christians doubted his faith and feared for their lives.

Yet before long, the believers recognised him as a brother, and they praised God for the remarkable work of the Holy Spirit in bringing such dramatic transformation.

I’ve been praying a lot for Kanye this week.

I’m praying that he doesn’t grow weary of proclaiming Christ, and that he keeps pursuing his new-found passion for Christlike living.

And I’m praying that the slogan ‘JESUS IS KING’ will lead many others down the same pathway to Christ that Kanye now walks.

If you don’t know Jesus as King, then why not read the Bible like Kanye did, and see how Jesus can also turn your life around?

JODIE McNEILL

Given that Jesus is the most perfect, complete man who ever walked on the planet, it sometimes surprise us to think that he experienced genuine emotions.

When I asked my school Scripture class this week to suggest when they thought Jesus got all emotional, some thought it might have been when he was falsely accused or when he experienced the rejection of his own people whom he came to save.

However, one of the most famous times where he expressed his emotion was when he saw first hand the sadness of the sisters of Lazarus, the man who had recently died.

Jesus knew that the pain of the death of his friend would ultimately be used through the ages as a remarkable testimony to the power of Jesus over death, which would bring great glory to God the Father.

Yet even though this was the ultimate aim, it didn’t stop him personally feeling the pain of grief from death.

Jesus knows what it means to experience the loss of a loved one, and he knows how it hurts in ways that words cannot express.

It is for this reason that Jesus is able to truly comfort us when we turn to him in our grief, knowing that he has felt just the same kind of thing that we’ve felt.

But the great power of Jesus comes with the hope that death is ultimately dealt with by his own victory over death, so that the weeping that comes from death will one day cease as God, himself, wipes away our tears.

The power of Jesus over the grave gives us confidence that death is a part of life that will be put behind us as we ultimately pass from this life to the next, safe in the arms of Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL

When our church regularly gathers, we pray that God would send lots of rain to bring relief to our land from the harsh effects of drought.

For even though meteorologists have got smarter and smarter at predicting and recording the weather, humans still are unable to make the heavens open and rain fall.

The Bible speaks about drought and famine on many occasions, and sometimes the lack of rain is a means by which God wakes people up so that whey will turn back to him, like when King Solomon prayed:

“If the skies are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and if they pray toward this Temple and acknowledge your name and turn from their sins because you have punished them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them to follow the right path, and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as their special possession.

King Solomon in 1 Kings 8:35-36

We also know that meteorological crises should not be seen as God’s normal, direct action upon rebellious people, for Jesus said that God “gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” (Matthew 5:45)

But whenever there is drought, we must remember that God is in control, and that it is a fresh reminder to acknowledge him as the loving ruler of the world, and to bring our prayers and requests to him.

Maybe God is sending this drought to Australia so that we will all turn to him in great number and enjoy the certainty of eternity that Jesus gives to all who humbly accept his gift of forgiveness?

And when it does rain, it’s a great opportunity to thank him for doing what the smartest meteorologists and scientists still cannot do: bring water from the sky to moisten the land and fill our dams.

JODIE McNEILL

One of the most frustrating aspects of fighting fires is turning up to help a resident whose home is completely unprepared for the coming attack.

If the householder had cleared out their gutters, raked away the leaves and removed the piles of branches from near their home, then it would be so much easier to save the home and prevent the heartache.

When you live in a fire-prone area, it is vital to hear the warnings and prepare for the coming threat, and that’s why the Rural Fire Service have annual ‘Get Ready’ events to educate and motivate people to prepare for the fire season.

For us in Jamberoo, the threat is real, with a long, dry, hot summer forecast, and the undeniable reality that it’s been over half a century since the ‘Black Monday’ fires that saw the escarpment burn all the way from Berry to the northern Illawarra.

We should all be prepared because the threat is known and real, and we are all able to do something to minimise the danger.

In the Bible we read about another certain threat for which people must get ready, and that’s the return of Jesus.

As Christians regularly say together in the Apostles Creed, “Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

When Jesus returns it will bring an end to the pain, injustice and sadness of this world, and even though that judgement seems scary, it’s not something that Jesus’ followers should fear.

For we can trust the Bible when it says that “everyone who believes in Jesus will have their sins forgiven.” (Acts 10:43).

Jesus has given us a way to survive his coming judgement, but it means we need to spiritually ‘Get Ready’ by asking Jesus for forgiveness and trusting him as our loving leader.

His second coming is as certain as this year’s hot summer… so take the opportunity now to get ready for judgement day by taking refuge in his loving arms. 

JODIE McNEILL