They say, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows but as believers, we know that God is in control of all things, including the weather, and this testimony is a testament to His faithfulness.
Its April 2023 and we had booked a one-night stay at quiet little place called Lemontree Passage in NSW Australia. This is the so called “holiday after a holiday” as we only just got back from Japan so I decided to extend our stay to two nights to make the trip worthwhile.
Little did I know that rain was forecasted for the weekend until my sister sent me a text message alerting me of a very wet weekend, suggesting that we start thinking about wet weather activities for our kids.
For a minute there I was disappointed and almost annoyed at myself for not checking the weather before extending our stay. But what I chose to do in response was ignore my sister’s text message (I honestly did not respond to her at all) and I started praying to God.
This is not the first time God has changed the weather for us so I knew that it wouldn’t be the last either. But I also knew that I had to have the faith to believe that He could and would do it again.
I continued to pray quietly to God as I went about my day, reminding Him that the forecast isn’t great but that I am putting my trust in Him.
But, from time to time, I will get a revelation in me that changes the way I pray to God. When I get these revelations, I know that Heaven will move.
So by the middle of the week, I get this revelation and I quickly gather up my kids in the middle of the living room. I gather up my kids for 2 main reasons.
Firstly, I think they are my little prayer warriors and they pray with such innocence about them, how can God say no to them? (haha)
And secondly, I want my kids to see this process of going to God in all our needs (regardless of how trivial it may be) and seeing God fulfil it. Its a great lesson for them to see it in real-time, rather than trying to teach them in hindsight.
So this was my revelation prayer at that moment. “Lord, we’ve got a holiday booked this weekend and the forecast is that it is going to be a very wet weekend. But we know that it’s not the weatherman who decides on the weather, it is you God! You control the weather! So it doesn’t matter what the weather forecast is this weekend, it doesn’t matter what the Bureau of Meteorology says, it doesn’t matter what anyone says! We know that you have the ultimate authority over the weather and all we care about is what you say Lord! Thank you for clearing away the rain clouds and giving us an amazing weekend filled with sunshine so that we can enjoy the beautiful outdoors that you created Lord! Amen!”
Sounds like a pretty simple prayer right? But it really is what’s in your heart when you pray it – do you believe it yourself when you ask God to move for you?
By this stage, I’ve still not responded to my sister and I have not even looked at the forecast myself because I genuinely believe God controls all things. But more importantly, I didn’t look at the forecast because it is my way of “keeping my eyes on Jesus.”
Similar to the story in Matthew 14:22-33, where Peter walked on water towards Jesus – it was only when he took his eyes off Jesus and saw the wind, that he was afraid and begins to sink, crying out “Lord, save me!” Jesus saves him but says, “You of little faith. Why did you doubt?”
In all circumstances, don’t take your eyes off Jesus. For me, checking the weather forecast would mean that I would’ve had some doubts in me, even the smallest of doubts would’ve made me buckle. My focus was on Jesus.
So with that in mind, I made plans for lunch at a lovely cafe on the drive up and when we arrive at Lemontree Passage, the plan is to head straight to Tilligerry Habitat, which is a 9-hectare reserve along the sandy foreshores of Tanila Bay. I sent the details to my sister and husband and in less than 5 seconds my husband jumps on the internet to check the weather forecast and says “So what’s the wet weather plan? I think we need to have one.” But my response was, “You can make a wet weather plan, but I’m not going to. I’ve already prayed a mighty prayer to God.”
I continued to pray consistently leading up to the weekend. However, my prayers are faith-filled now. At one point I was even bold enough to say to God, “I would love for the weekend to be filled with sunshine and rainbows,” momentarily forgetting that rainbows only appear after rainfall, so I quickly corrected myself and said, “Oh scrap that, Thank you for the sunshine. Just sunshine, no rainbows please.”
Saturday finally arrives and no surprises, the weather was absolutely amazing! We had lunch at the cafe and as planned, we headed straight to Tilligerry Habitat. It was so nice and warm that day, not a drop of rain and not even a gust of wind. We enjoyed a beautiful boardwalk through the reserve, looked for Frogs and Koalas (didn’t spot any Koalas unfortunately) and chased soldier crabs along the beach. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the weekend.
We woke up the next day and it was just as beautiful as the first day. We spent the morning at the park and my sister accepted Jesus into her heart that day! (Halleluhaj!) The weather remained stunning, defying the predictions of rain.
Later, our friend drove up from Sydney to meet us at Fly Point, and to our amusement, they arrived fully prepared for wet weather, wearing thick jackets, rain boots, and trackies. They explained that they had checked the weather leading up to their departure from Sydney and even while driving up to meet us the forecast was showing showers. It was then that I shared my testimony of faith and the prayer I had offered to God.
Throughout the entire long weekend, the sun was shining. The weather was incredibly warm, the kids snorkeled at Fly Point and chased more soldier crabs the following day. We basked in the sunshine, with not a single drop of rain to dampen our spirits. We even enjoyed a gorgeous sunset that evening and a delicious garden lunch at a local brewery the next day. It was undeniably the most beautiful weekend we could have hoped for.
It was only when we were about an hour into our drive home on Monday late afternoon that the rain finally came down. It poured heavily, and as I looked out the window, I caught a glimpse of something truly remarkable. Through the rain-streaked window, I saw a breathtaking rainbow gracing the sky on my left. I couldn’t contain my excitement and I was about to tell my husband about my Sunshine and Rainbows prayer, but as quickly as the trees passed by, obscuring my view, the rainbow disappeared from sight.
In that fleeting moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of confirmation from God, that He did in fact orchestrate the Sunshine and Rainbows for me, just as I prayed for.
I also couldn’t help but feel immense gratitude for the blessings bestowed upon us. Our weekend getaway had become a testimony of God’s faithfulness, a tangible reminder that He listens to our prayers and is actively involved in the details of our lives.
It was a trip filled with sunshine and rainbows, both literally and metaphorically, reminding us of the beauty and blessings that come from a steadfast faith in God.
I am reminded of the scripture in Matthew 17:20, where Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Indeed, nothing is impossible when we place our trust in God and bring our petitions before Him in faith.
I encourage you to hold fast to your faith, even when faced with uncertainty or challenging circumstances. Remember that God is always with you, and He delights in revealing His love and grace in the most unexpected ways.
May this testimony inspire you to pray bold prayers, trusting in God’s sovereignty and knowing that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.
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