Displaying items by tag: Hope for the Countryside

After an expensive 2023 harvest, this autumn's weather has not been kind to farmers. Very dry conditions quickly turned to very wet. Crops thought to be safely growing have been overwhelmed by waterlogging and even flooding, with slugs and flea beetles adding to the damage. The political backdrop to this is a fundamental change in the way farming is funded. The Basic Payment Scheme, which has supported farmers to produce food, is being phased out in favour of incentives which exclusively support environmental benefits. However, while adjusting to the new situation, we give thanks to the Lord for 'Natural England' and 'Catchment Sensitive Farming', which are doing a great job of educating farmers and signposting available support, and for 'Farming Community Network', which provides practical help to those in difficulties. Pray for all in farming who are feeling weighed down by the burdens of weather, finance and regulation, for Christian farmers seeking to farm to God's glory, and for those who open their farms to schoolchildren and others.

From Hope for the Countryside: ‘The Lord is the source of our provision, and His kindness and faithfulness are honoured by all those who look to him. Many Christians are involved in running foodbanks and pantries, offering some hope, helping to meet the very real material needs of people and showing the love of Christ in action. However, as important as this is, there is a deeper and more urgent need, to address the spiritual poverty in this land. God is not lacking nor unwilling to extend an invitation to his table and share his bounty. Pray for many to recognise their spiritual poverty and to hunger after the Lord.  Pray that we can work together to bring spiritual food to those in need, to tell them of the hope that lasts for ever and of the food and drink freely offered that will satisfy for a lifetime and into eternity. Give thanks for the many outreach and discipleship materials already available.’ For the full article, see

September is when autumn begins, the academic year commences, parliament returns from recess, and farmers prepare for October’s new farming year. By the end of September many animals will start preparing for their winter sleep. In rural life, in church, nation, and perhaps in our lives, we see much coming to an end and new changes and challenges beginning. Pray for those starting at school, college and university, for our government and the new parliamentary session (1 Timothy 2: 1-4), and for farmers. Pray for the Lord to open our eyes to look beyond the endings around us and see His new beginnings in our own lives, in rural life, in church and nation (Luke 24:31). Pray that He will show us when to let our own works, projects, programmes, organisations and institutions die so that He can do a 'new thing' (Isaiah 43:19; Philippians 3:12-14).

Gatherings or expressions of prayer and worship occur daily throughout rural Britain, often focused on local ministry and needs. Quiet spaces, indoors and out, are offered for those seeking a place to be still in the presence of the Lord. Many are Christ-centred, but some mix or confuse beliefs and practices from other faiths, spirits and old pagan ways. We thank God for existing faithful prayer. Pray for greater connectedness amongst those praying and worshipping in our counties, and for regional or local clusters of believers to join together and support one another transcending traditional boundaries. Pray for a fuller, deeper revelation of the love of God and the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ as people pray. Pray for intentional prayer and worship to lift His name high and to see the spiritual climate change across our countryside, and for beacons of light and truth to be established in homes, hamlets and villages, the valleys and the hilltops, shining ever more brightly.

Several of Jesus' parables liken the preaching of the Gospel to the scattering of seeds, which sprout and bear fruit in due time. Our May online gatherings showed how the word of God has been scattered throughout our countryside and that shoots are sprouting up in all sorts of places. Believers are building relationships and communities centred around the good news of Jesus Christ. People of all ages are asking questions, seeking a deeper and truer meaning to life. Christians have been prepared over time, often unbeknown to them, for the people and places to which the Lord has sent them. These may be a pub, a lunch for older residents, an after-school club, a quiet garden, a bible reading group or a new church thriving in a barn through the hospitality of a farmer.

Throughout the summer, across the nation, thousands of people will attend country fairs and agricultural shows. These provide great opportunities to celebrate farming, food and the land and 'Britain’s rural culture’, display skill, craftsmanship and artistry, and bring town and country and young and old together. They are also opportunities to give thanks and enjoy the diverse bounties the Lord has blessed us with in this land. At many, there will be a strong Christian presence, including through services, church hospitality tents, chaplaincies and outreach ministries, and opportunities to offer prayer. Give thanks for these occasions. Pray for the witness of local churches, rural chaplaincies and organisations like Farming Christian Link.

In recent years the Government has formulated and implemented new policies and initiatives to change the way farming is conducted. Many focus on helping and encouraging farmers to restore overworked land and improve care of the environment. 'Catchment sensitive farming' aims to work with farmers to produce food in a way that protects water, air and soil, reducing flood risk on agricultural land. Meanwhile, a National Farmers Union campaign, with the slogan ‘Our shops should never be empty of any food that can be produced by farmers and growers in Britain’, seeks to promote British food production and security. Pray for wisdom, especially for Christians in agriculture and horticulture, to seek the Lord for direction and inspiration and to be able to witness His wisdom, grace and hope to those with whom they work. 

The prophet Joel records how the cattle, sheep and other animals suffer and moan because of the condition of the nation (Joel 1:10-12; 18-20). On 13 April, 18,000 dairy cows burned to death in a horrific barn fire in Texas. Over the last decade at least 6.5 million farmed animals in the USA have died by fire, many living in cramped mega-farms. They paid the price for farmers' profits and consumers' low-cost food. The Lord made provision for us to eat all kinds of food, but we are also to take care of God's creatures (Genesis 1:28). Jesus said, 'Not one sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’. While giving thanks for God’s provision, we should still grieve and lament unnecessary suffering and cruelty in the name of profit and convenience. Pray for greater alertness to, and awareness of, the conditions under which livestock are kept and our food is produced.

Through Haggai, the Lord calls His people to ‘consider their ways’. Despite their best efforts, Israel’s ‘agricultural economy’ is failing, because they have neglected the ‘house of the Lord’ (Haggai 1:1-11). In Hosea, ‘the land mourns and all who dwell in it languish’, because of the sins and apostasy of the people, particularly the priests and prophets (who should know better) (Hosea 4:1-11). Then and now, the state of the land and its inhabitants is an indicator of the spiritual condition of (God's) people. Many current issues in rural life (and society in general) are symptoms of the underlying spiritual malaise in the nation and church and its leadership. Diverse wings of the church are capitulating to the spirit of the age by uncritically adopting its consumerism, ‘celebrity culture’, and ’woke’ agenda or even consorting with the ‘gods of the nations’ by mixing New Age / pagan practices with Christian worship.

The Psalms and prophetic texts proclaim that fruitfulness from the land is a clear sign of God's blessing on the people and something for which to be grateful. His withholding of crops is a sign of our sin and His displeasure. Yet, notwithstanding the rhetoric and celebration of country life, the UK still seems to fail to appreciate or grasp the value of the land entrusted to us and the harvest it yields. We remain heavily reliant on imported food, whilst some of our own farmers are ceasing to produce food as costs escalate. Growers cannot make a living, consumers cannot afford the food in the shops and, despite clear evidence from our supermarket shelves, there are still no assurances that the government is taking domestic food security seriously. Pray for an awakening to the reality of the situation, humility, and God’s wisdom and understanding, amongst policy makers, business, church leaders and retailers.