Prayers for Australia

Our hearts go out to those in Australia, which has been experiencing drought from an intense heat wave and raging bushfires that have left a hazardous smoke haze hanging over Sydney. Here are some ideas to inspire prayers that kindle hope, courage, and confidence in God’s care for His creation.

Christian Science Perspective audio edition
Loading the player...

In support of those facing the drought, intense heat, smoke haze, and bushfires in Australia, we’ve compiled some articles from The Christian Science Publishing Society’s archives specifically selected for their relevance to what’s going on. Within each one you will find some thoughts about how God’s power has helped those who have faced similar conditions, which we hope will inspire your own prayers today – whether you’re right there in Australia or wishing to help from afar.

In “Australia – just a prayer away,” a woman from Melbourne, writing during another period of severe drought in Australia, explores the power of prayer that affirms God’s love for all, and urges everyone to take part. “No matter where in the world you live,” she notes, “your prayers are beneficial.”

Inspired by the courage of those fighting wildfires, the author of “Undaunted courage” considers how even a glimpse of the power of God, divine Love, arms us with a strength not our own, even when things seem hopeless.

In “After the fires, a ‘still small voice,’” a Californian explores the power of God’s limitless love to support, sustain, and empower individuals and communities, even in the face of overwhelming and tragic situations.

The fullness of God’s love, enough to meet our needs” includes an account of how a woman prayed during a drought when her well was nearly empty – offering practical ideas for experiencing God’s inexhaustible goodness.

And just a sweet thought in this poem titled “Stillness,” which points to the idea that whatever the situation, we can pause to listen for and feel God’s angels, or inspiration, bringing calm.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Prayers for Australia
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2019/1219/Prayers-for-Australia
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe