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Having survived the 2003 fires in Canberra, I am absolutely gobsmacked at the number and scope of the fires in our wide brown land of Oz at the start of 2020!
There is absolutely no point in blaming anyone (Prime Minister, fire chiefs, State premiers, Greens, arsonists etc) because apart from venting frustration, blame gets us nowhere.
Wake up Oz!!
For those of us who are Christians, I believe this is a wake up call in at least three different spheres of activity:
2 Chronicles Chapter 7 verse 14 states: “… if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
This word from God is addressed to us – Christians – who call ourselves by his name. In typical Old Testament language, there are three things we must do, and in return God will do three things for us. We must:
- Humble ourselves and pray
- Seek His face
- Turn from our wicked ways (not just confess but actively repent – do a 180 degree turn).
When that happens God will:
- Hear from heaven
- Forgive our sin
- Heal our land (bringing rain to break the drought and restore life).
This was only part of what God said to Solomon when Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord. You can read most of the context in 2 Chronicles Chapter 7, and even though some of you might think ‘this is Old Testament’, the principles still hold.
I was also struck by the Australian Prayer Network’s response. In 2007, a National Solemn Assembly was called by the Australian Prayer Network with several thousand people attending in Canberra, preceded by 40 days of prayer and fasting by some 30 000 people for the nation. Among other things, God highlighted the situation in Haggai Chapter 1 verses 3 – 11. In 2007 people were looking out for themselves, but not for their relationship with God.
Six national and personal sins were listed, of which God asked the people to repent. They were lack of intimacy in our relationship with God, idolatory, sexual immorality, shedding of innocent blood, injustice and broken covenants.
Within six months of the National Solemn Assembly the drought had broken, and the seasons returned to normal.
However unlike what happened in Haggai Chapter 1 where the people feared the Lord and began to work on the restoration of the house of the Lord, after the Solemn Assembly the people of Australia gave thanks to God for the rain and returned to what they had been doing before the drought. Twelve years down the track we again face exactly the same situation. (used with permission from Brian Pickering, National Coordinator, APN)
What fire does
In the first place fire destroys things. But apart from that pretty basic outcome, fire has many and diverse uses. It brings warmth, provides light, and cooks food.
In the process of forging a weapon, fire is used to mix iron sand with carbon to make a type of steel that allows a sword to have the strength and the ability to hold a sharp edge, as well as to cause the sword to tend to bend rather than flex under stress.
In refining a metal, fire is used to burn away dross and produce a pure metal. This is usually in relation to purifying precious metals such as gold and silver.
Fire is often needed to release seeds in many native species. Eucalyptus, Melaleuca and other species can regenerate branches along their trunks from epicormic buds. These are buds positioned under the bark and can be stimulated to sprout by fire.
Fire can destroy disease-causing pathogens and has often been used to sterilize equipment.
Then again, fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit – remember what the disciples saw in Acts? Tongues of fire on their heads when the Holy Spirit came upon them!
Handle with care
Fire is not to be toyed with. It is dangerous – it can result in the loss of property and life, as is evidenced by the devastation caused during the fires in this current season.
One of the biggest issues on a national scale is the management of fuel load and land. There is much indigenous wisdom that should be applied to these issues. One example is the methods used in part of Victoria.
Groups such as the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation are attempting to bring such wisdom to the forefront of management practices. Cultural burns have already proved effective in the Tathra area. And you can read here another testimony of the efficacy of cultural burning.
Part of the humility that is called for in the Chronicles passage surely has to do with the powers that be recognizing that they don’t know it all and being humble enough to ask indigenous people what their collective wisdom says. This will be different in different parts of Australia, in response to different ecological patterns and weather patterns, so the general ‘one size fits all’ approach is inappropriate.
But overall, instead of pointing the finger and placing blame, as Christians who are called by His name, I think we need to repent, seek His face, call on His mercy and trust that the fires will have swept through Australia to purify and cleanse and draw people to Him.
Aira Chilcott is a retired secondary school teacher with lots of science and theology under her belt. Aira is a panellist for Young Writers and indulges in reading, bushwalking, volunteering at a nature reserve and learning to play clarinet. Aira is married to Bill and they have three adult sons.
Aira Chilcott's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/aira-chilcott.html
Aira Chilcott is a retired secondary school teacher with lots of science andtheology under her belt. Aira is an editor for PSI and indulges inreading, bushwalking and volunteering at a nature reserve. Aira’s husband Bill passed away in 2022 and she is left with three wonderful adult sons and one grandson.
Aira Chilcott's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/aira-chilcott.html