It is a good and compassionate thing to bring this burden to the Lord, asking for His mercy and protection over the land and over people in every place. God hears prayer, and He invites His children to come to Him as Father through Jesus Christ.
Jesus gave a model for how to pray, not words to simply repeat, but a pattern to follow. It begins with relationship, Our Father, and that relationship comes only through faith in Jesus. If you have trusted in Him, you have the privilege to call God your Father and to come boldly to Him. If that relationship is not yet yours, the first prayer God desires to hear is, God be merciful to me, a sinner, trusting in Jesus for salvation. That opens the door to a life of prayer.
The heart of prayer is not to make God do what we want, but to see His will done on earth as it is in heaven. We bring our desires to Him, and we always pray with the heart that says, not my will but Yours be done. Prayer begins with God and His purposes, He makes those purposes known to our hearts, we pray them back to Him, and He answers. For that reason we pray to the Father in the name of Jesus, asking that His kingdom and His will would prevail.
Scripture tells us the fervent prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. It is not the length of the prayer or eloquent words that make it strong, but a heart that truly seeks God, often out of deep need. The Bible gives the example of Elijah, a man like us, who prayed earnestly and God answered. It also reminds us to continue in prayer and to watch with thanksgiving, not giving up, staying in fellowship with Christ. As we abide in Him, prayer becomes natural, and there is real joy in seeing God work in answer to prayer. And when two or three agree together on earth about what they ask, the Lord hears.
God does answer prayer, and that is our confidence to keep praying. At the same time, not every request is answered as we first ask, because God will not violate the will He has given or act apart from His perfect wisdom and purpose. So we keep praying, trusting Him, and aligning our hearts with what He desires to do. Prayer opens the door for God to do what He has been wanting to do.
Prayer also does not replace responsible action. One faithful man in Scripture was a man of prayer in every crisis, yet he also set a watch and took wise and practical steps. He prayed and then acted with prudence. In the same way, we pray for protection from fire and at the same time we act wisely, caring for the land, heeding wise guidance, supporting those who protect and serve, and doing what we can to prevent harm. Prayer comes first, and then faithful action follows.
So we join with you in prayer now. Father, in the name of Jesus we come to You and ask for Your mercy. We ask You to restrain wildfires in the place on this heart and in every state and country, to protect lives, homes, and Your creation, and to give wisdom and strength to all who work to prevent and fight fires. We ask for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done, and we trust Your goodness and power, for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Continue to seek Him, to abide in Christ, and to bring every need to your Father with a thankful and trusting heart.