It’s dry. Very dry. People are suffering. Animals are suffering. Farmers are jumping through hoops and there are no answers to all the questions. So, they pray. We often receive prayer requests like this one from Piet:

Please pray for advice and guidance. I want to sell a number of animals and keep a core herd of 500 animals. The sales need to cover my debt at the bank. Or pray that the Lord will send someone who will take these animals for a year and then return the sheep to me.

It’s really hard when things are so bad. Piet knows where to find help. He knows Who is in control and that’s why he turns to God in prayer. A brief prayer, a call for help.

But then he doesn’t cover himself in sackcloth and ashes. No, he makes a plan to survive. A plan for his sheep to survive.

As usual, Piet’s prayer request is sent to the intercessors together with all the others. We believe in prayer. God hears.

One of the intercessors sent us this email:

Hope all is well with you and the team! Could you possibly help me to contact Piet – who is talking about his sheep in the prayer request, and is looking for someone to look after his ewes for a year? Thank you. Have a good day.

We asked Piet’s permission to send his details to Jan. Jan responded:

Thank you for the information. I am a farmer too and we are suffering financially too. We are game farmers and the price of our Sable antelope has gone down by 90% over the past three years! Maybe I can help him with his sheep. Maybe on another level to lift his spirits a little – we really are in the same boat! Have a good day.

Jan cannot stop himself. He is suffering too. A major part of his income has simply disappeared because people decided his expensive game is no longer worth much. But more than that, the drought is also pushing him to the edge.

But Jan still wants to help. He wants to intercede for a fellow farmer he doesn’t know at all and put him and his animals and his farm before the Almighty Lord. Actually, this is the responsibility of all children of God. We must carry each other into the presence of God, because together our prayers sound better and louder to God.

But that moves Jan to do more. You see, we must leave the impossible to God and then look hard for what we can do. For others as well. That’s why Jan wants to help Piet with the sheep. Even though he is struggling himself, he feels moved to make space for Piet’s sheep.

This is such a motivation to me to help others. I believe wholeheartedly that God has put us on earth to help one another. Sometimes it’s a struggle and God will help, through our hands and feet and sometimes our wallets.

Then we read this verse: ⁷But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, … And everything makes sense …

Scripture
Titus 2:6-8

Reflection
Where do you have to be an example?
What do you have to say?
What do you have to do?

Prayer
Lord, please help me not to sit and wait for You to help people, but let me be willing to be Your hands and feet. Especially when it demands something of me. Amen.