Posted on 09/16/2006 11:09:29 AM PDT by Between the Lines
The city council in Lubbock has called another "Day of Prayer," but this time it's not to seek God's blessing, it's to say thank you.
The council had declared a day of prayer and fasting on July 30 to seek God's gift of rain for the region, which had had just 5.71 inches since Jan. 1, according to a report in the Avalanche-Journal.
Since then, 6.55 inches of rain has fallen, even triggering some flooding. And now the council has declared Sunday a day of prayer and thanksgiving.
"It's not hocus pocus," Mayor David Miller told the newspaper. "It's not magic. It's just honoring the Creator."
One Lubbock resident told WND, "It is wonderful to see a city acknowledge God's sovereignty, and even more wonderful to see such an obvious demonstration of His power to answer prayer."
An announcement at Pray Lubbock! said, "Thank the Lord for Every Drop! Let's make Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006 A Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving!"
The earlier pronouncement that officials in the drought-stricken area were taking their pleas to God triggered a lot of sniggering – and made it into the "quirky" sections of big-city dailies.
But then the rains started.
Some three and a half inches of rains fell in the town over the Labor Day Weekend alone, overflowing some reservoirs and spillways.
The area had been "dealing with red flag warnings, fire danger, and extremely dry conditions," according to Jody James of the National Weather Service.
Drought contingency plans, in fact, had been started as long ago as last January, and during the cotton growing season from June 1 and the end of July, Lubbock got only .75 inches, only a fraction of its normal 4.43 inches during that time.
It's not the first time prayers for rain in Lubbock have met with good results. In January 2004, after a year of drought, the city and county set aside a Sunday to pray for rain and got the second-wettest year since records have been kept.
The decision to hold a day of thanks comes even though the city still is nearly 2 inches below its average rainfall of 14.12 inches for a year, officials said.
The Lubbock County Commissioners Court also has joined in the declaration.
Nice post....thank you,
ping
I love it. They received "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over!"
Love seeing a city honor God.
Great, they had their prayer answered.
I like this story.
Gee...you might think there's something to this "prayer" thing..../sarc
"Ask, and you SHALL recieve..."
Good on ya' Lubbock.
The Providential Hand is alive and well... contrary to what Nitche declared.
And I say this even having flooded my car in a torrential downpour last year in August in Lubbock!
This drouth in Texas is just awful. Even in East Texas where I live we are down about 40 inches in two years. Trees are dying everywhere. At this rate East Texas will be like west Texas before it has run its course. It almost makes one wish for a hurricane to blow in such badly needed rain. When I moved here in 2001 we got 18 inches in three days. This whole year we have about 19 inches and it is bone dry. I have never in my 63 years on this planet seen it this dry.
I'm in the Austin area, on Lake Travis. Things are so bad here that the lake is down so low that there are large sandy beaches and even sand bars poking out in the lake. It's been low before (Travis is the control lake for a chain of lakes), but I don't believe I have ever seen it this low before.
An incredible story in these days. Usually people just simply move on to the next thing God can do for them.
A blessed morning, folks.
Praising God for His blessings is certainly in keeping with Reformed theology.
But doesn't the initial prayer and fasting for rain come dangerously close to "name it and claim it" theology?
At minimum, doesn't it imply that God is moved by our prayers to change a previously determined direction?
Praying for God's intervention isn't an issue, it's when we twist it in on our selves (name it claim it) that it becomes sinful.
Thanks for your answers. I certainly agree about the clear distinction between praying for rain and praying for that new Mercedes.
It might beg the question, though, of what if the city had prayed and fasted for that new auto plant or sports franchise? Discussion for another day, I suppose. :-)
Fair enough question. I suppose it all goes to motive. A car factory would provide an influx of jobs for people and a strong case can be made for providing decent jobs. I personally think that is OK.
Many times pro sports teams are a burden on the tax payer since taxes are often raised to pay for stadiums, with minimal return to the average person.
I would say it's one of attitude. If one prays for a new auto plant but didn't get it, would we rejoice that God has made known His will or would we pout? How about if we prayed for a new auto plant but specifically ask, "Lord, you decide if we really need a new auto plant and you make the decision. Whatever you decide is fine with us."? Would we be willing to make such a request?
We may think we need rain to keep the crops coming in, but perhaps God has something better in store by giving us a dought.
I posted before reading your response. I guess we're on the same page. :O)
Te Deum
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