On March 14th, join other born-again farmers in praying for each other’s agricultural endeavors.
The farming season is coming fast upon many of us. Lately I have been busy preparing ground, planting early crops, getting ready for new chickens, and working on the all important marketing! Before we get too much further into the year I would like to host a day of prayer for the 2013 growing season. On March 14th I invite anyone who would like to participate to join us in praying for God’s blessing on each other’s farms.
As born-again farmers we are very aware of our dependence upon God for our provision and livelihood. We can’t make seeds sprout, cause rain to fall, enable animals to conceive and give birth, or make people buy our produce. God is the only one who can grant us success. One of the primary ways we can show our dependence on God is by praying and asking for His blessing and provision upon our farms. And I believe that God listens to the prayers of His people.
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
On the farm prayer day I would encourage us to pray for each other in two areas:
1. First, I would encourage us to pray for the Lord to change our hearts and make us into more Christ-like farmers. God-glorifying agriculture starts with the born-again hearts of farmers. I know that there are many areas of my heart that still need changing if I am going to glorify the Lord on my farm.
2. Second, let’s pray that the Lord would so bless the production and fruitfulness of our farms this year that people would marvel when they see them. Then we will be able to point to God as the source of our success, and give Him all the Glory.
Anyone interested in participating should do the following:
A. In the comments of this post, briefly describe yourself and your farm/garden/agrarian interests. Then list a few specific areas in which you would like the Lord to help you become a more Christ-like farmer. Finally, list specific ways you would like the Lord to bless the production of your land this year.
B. On March 14th, set aside at least one meal during to day to fast and use that time to go through the comments on this blog and pray for all the needs listed by your fellow Christian farmers.
I am looking forward to this! Please spread the word to anyone you think may be interested. May we be strengthened in our faith as we join together in committing our lives, our families, and our farms to God.
“Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.” Genesis 26:12
This is a wonderful idea. Thankyou. We have a small chemical-free farm that has provided milk, eggs, beef, pastured poultry, and vegetables. We moved to the farm years ago when we were homeschooling our children and became home-centered. We wanted our children to live on a farm to develop character in them and so that they would have room to explore, create, and think. All of that was accomplished. Over the years our vision of what the farm is about has grown. We have twelve grandchildren, so far, and want all of those things for them, also. We have to leave this farm soon and pray that God will put us on another one. We would like people to see God when they come to our farm. To be aware of His being a part of everything there. We kept on only by His grace last year. We would like Him to bless us with wisdom and knowledge of farming. With good weather and rains at the proper time and that we would be observant and adapt to changes as necessary.
Thankyou again and we look forward to fasting and praying with you on the 14th.
I saw your blog post just when I needed it. I moved from a established 4 acre farm in NC back to my home state of MA almost three years ago. My husband and I believe that God called us to give up everything and follow Him here. I know I am called to farm not only as a living but as a ministry. Discouragement is setting in as the wait for a piece of land and a home has waned on. I read Born Again Dirt last year and hope to run my farm according to Gods plan and purpose. We are in need of a home and 2-3 acres. My hearts desire is to encourage people to grow their own food and share the love of God with them as I share my love of farming. I have a degree in horticulture and 10 years experience as a successful blessed farmer. We sold all we had and left a place we loved and were happy. After nearly three years of waiting we cry out to God for His provision. We faithfully join you all in praying on March 14th and ask God to richly bless your farms, families and endeavors. Thank you for bringing us all together. Susan in Massachusetts.
Susan Berry: You had faith to sell everything you had & follow God’s will-that speaks volumes. I’ll say a prayer for you & yours that God will show you His plan soon. Your post really jumped out at me-I’m from Eastern NC & still live here-so when I saw that you had left NC, it just made me want to pray for you. God will give you that dirt to get your hands dirty in soon!
Dear Susan, Oh wow you are brave and God lving and I just want to tell you in my heart I know you are on God’s waiting list for your own place. I am renting a small plot, 3000X4000 sq feet of land. Iy isn’t much but it keeps me occupied. I used to have my own terrace house, a corner lot, with a tract of land by the side. I crammed it with every thing I could plant and it was a joy to me. 4 times my beighbour srayed poison on my garden and after 3 attempts she killed my dog with poison. Smokey died a horrendous death. I sold the house a moved away. We bought an apartment with 2 balconies and its chockful of plants. I prayed hard to God to have my own garden. One day, a man living in a detached house with a huge garden advertised his garden to let. I jumped at it and for 2 years I have been growing everything I want. But now his son has come home from Uni and is being a pain in the neck. So like you, I pray once more to own a piece of land where it will be all mine and no one will trouble me any more. I live in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. As long as there is breath in our bodies, I know we will have what we want and need. So chin up and look to Jesus. With Love and Light Annie
What a great idea, I will commit to pray for those who respond and will share this post with our friends as well. Our farm is in the budding stages, as we wait for closing day on 230 acres in upstate NY. Our goal is to start a grass-fed meat farm, offering beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs, honey, maple syrup, etc. Since we have the opportunity to start fresh with our ideas and practices, I pray that God would reveal an approach that honors him as well as brings success. We want to be intentional about reflecting his love and glory to others as we interact with old friends and new customers. There are a lot of potential issues and pitfalls for our new business, and always a threat that the farm won’t make it off the ground. Please pray that God would lay his hand on our venture, that he would bless it and allow it to be the sole financial support for our family, and that the relationships that are developed would facilitate the furthering of his kingdom here on earth. Thanks!
Oh I love this idea. I am not a farmer but I am a gardener who likes to grow my own food. I always dreamed however, that in the kingdom to come I will be chosen to grow the olives and tend the sheep! I will join with you on March 14 to fast and pray. I will pray for Gods blessing upon the Christian farmers. I will give thanks for those who grow my food. ~Gwen
My husband & I own 3 acres in NC where we are raising the youngest 2 of our 3 children. We have 2 pigs, 40 chicks & chickens, & 3 goats that we are raising for food & we have a pretty good sized garden that we raise our vegetables in. We would truly love for God to give us guidance in the most humane & bountiful ways to slaughter the animals for the freezer (chickens we’ve done before, but not the goats & pigs-God’s guidance in this would be a wonderful thing!) & the ways He would have us to manage this land. We pray for our fruit & vegetable crops to be so plentiful that we might be able to have an abundance for the coming year, share with family & friends, & possibly have enough to sell to help make a little bit of extra money to buy gardening supplies & seeds. Thank you for this wonderful idea!
We are not farmers although we do have a moderate sized garden. We are, however, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we recognize over and over again our dependency on our Lord to provide what is needed to bear any “fruit” in our garden and berry bushes/fruit trees. This year, with the drought-like condidtions it has made us even more aware that God and God alone is in control of the Earth and our lives. I would like to join you on March 14th in prayer for our own land and for all of the born-again farmers, asking God to gloryify Himself in the works of His hand. Thank you for calling us to pray and leading us to humble ourselves and seek His Hand and face, not only in our “land” but also in our lives.
wow! what a great idea! my husband and i live about 1 1/2 miles from our “farm,” which is 5 acres i inherited from my grandfather. we’re developing it slowly, b/c we want to do it as debt-free as possible. part of it is in pasture for my horse & in the future a cow for beef, we have a small veggie garden that i’m going to plant lots of herbs in this year, a few clumps of wild blueberry bushes that i’m slowly transplanting to places they’ll grow better, a camper that i call our “vacation home” (haha), a shed that needs a roof over it (we started out with a tarp shelter), and 6 chickens (i think 4 are roosters!!). i’ll be buying 2 honey bee hives next month, and will be planting lots of flowers for nectar and pollen. i need prayers to overcome procrastination, fear of failure, and to have courage to “just do it”! :-). we want our farm to be a blessing, not only to us, but to others, as our world continues to spiral downward, just like it says it will in the Bible. we want our farm to be a lighthouse in the midst of the storm.
We are going to join you in praying for all your crops and gardens too, We knew a Minister that when he would be driving by the farmers land he would pray that God would bless their crops and land. We have a small garden that does not seem to produce hardly nothing, We keep trying though, My husband is about ready to give up. It is a raised bed..so when I saw this on face book, I wanted to join in, we will pray in our church services also for you all, we would love to have enough to be able to share with people that are having hard times. Sandra
Great idea! I would like to participate. Our small farm is located in Central Alabama where we have a few acres of pasture and the rest woods. I will be raising egg layers, broilers, bees, strawberries, and a spacious vegetable garden. I’m grateful to the Lord for giving me this opportunity to raise food for people. I pray that the new things we are raising will go well, and that the chickens will grow big and healthy. Also, that our wonderful customers would be blessed by my products, and that they will be benefitted from them. We pray that our farm would shine Christ’s light to the world. We look forward to new farm additions as spring approaches, and are thankful for the recent substantial rainfalls we have received.
I am amazed at the strength and faith in all of you. I am lacking and want to encourage every one of you to follow your goals. I will try to remember to keep you all in my thoughts and prayers on that day. I am currently challenged in my life, as I try to train for a new medical career and provide for my family. In my heart, I am certain God has chosen me to provide for others and care for their needs. I would love for that to be through farming and raising animals, but we have no money. My wife and children would all love to farm. We see the changes in our world and just want to pray for your continued strength, courage, fortitude, and perseverance. Most of all, keep your faith and display it openly for others to see. You are blessed in what you do.
WOW!Im a farmers wife from South Africa..And this is truely inspirational..
Hello, my husband and I live on a 13 acre U-pick blueberry farm. Please pray ….
-that we would humble ourselves before Christ
-that we would completely surrender everything to Him
-that Christ would free us from any sin that would hinder his using us and our farm
-that we would have a good crop of blueberries for U-pick
-that our berries would be protected from disease and birds
-that God would provide rain
-that He would send whomever He chooses to come to the farm to pick
-that He would enable our family to love whoever comes to pick
-that He would give us the words that would “speak life” and encouragement to each customer
-that we would have good health and strength to work the farm throughout the season.
Thank you so much for praying for us. I will be praying for you all as well…..
I came across your website a few days ago, and I appreciate it very much. My husband and I are in the process of creating a plan to build a farm, so I ask that you pray for direction and provision for our needs.
So glad to have found your blog! We are a small 20-acre “Born-again farm” in Michigan’s thumb. We really just got started last year–we grass-finished 3 beef cows and raised about 200 pastured poultry. I’m also experimenting with sheet mulching methods in our family’s garden (nowhere near a market-scale garden yet!). We also run a deer processing business that has been in my husband’s family for over 30 years, which we just moved to our property last fall. We hope to process our own chickens in the near future. My husband Dan works full time as a mechanical engineer in Saginaw, Michigan, but our hope in the next few years is to pay off our home and establish enough income through our farm and meat processing for him to come home and live the home-farming life full time:) We have 4 hard-working homeschooled boys ages 10, 8, 5, and 2 who are a huge asset to our family’s vision!
Specific requests for this season…
1. Good growing season, rain, etc. for our pastures to support finishing 6 beef cows without buying hay.
2. We’re ramping up poultry production…pray for good weight gain and healthy birds.
3. Pray our marketing is successful enough to sell them all! We need to expand our client base beyond friends and family.
4. For our children to continue to “catch” the vision for our farm and pursue their own business ideas.
I just started studying through the Bible on how we as farmers (and a society) should relate to the earth God has created for us. I’m really excited to read your book about born-again farming…but not until I finish my own study:) I also have a blog at domesticreformation.blogspot.com that I plan on starting up again with a renewed focus on our family’s farming/lifestyle ventures. We have a lot more about our story there, if you ever are interested in reading! In particular this post http://domesticreformation.blogspot.com/2011/10/agrarian-home-based-lifestyle-part-1.html begins to explain our vision.
So glad to have found this community! We will be praying with you on the 14th!
This is awesome. God bless you.
Just finished the book! Encouraging and motivating! Count us in on the prayer day March 14th! God is always Good!!!!
Boulder Open Heaven Farm is a brand new project starting up at City on the Hill Church in Boulder, Colorado. We are planting our first seeds in trays tomorrow! We will be planting approximately 2 acres of vegetables, fruit trees and bushes this season. Our vision is to grow food, people, and community- within our own church, the greater church family, and serve as an outreach for unbelievers.
We pray that God blesses the land and this new farm with abundance and success beyond what we can imagine, and that lives are changed for His Glory. We pray that churches can come together through this project, and that every heart touched by the BOH Farm project will be filled to overflowing with God’s love.
My wife and I live on a 4+ acre piece of land. We are not farmers but want to use our land. We have had goats, chickens, and sheep in the past but coyotes discouraged us. We (now that I am retired) want to start again with several gardens, chickens and/or goats. My wife makes goat milk soap, and goats are soooo personable. Keep us in prayer that we can stay focused and determined to make it a success with God’s help in this large endeavor. We will be joining everyone (and our dairy farmer friends) on March 14 in prayer.
Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Christ, Thankyou Noah for sharing your love of Christ and passion for farming with others. My husband and I have a beef cattle property in Australia.I believe God has given me a vision to create a garden of rest for those in Christ, and the property to be used as a venue to share the gospel. I would really appreciate prayer for :
~ my husband that he would baptised with fire and filled with God’s Spirit.
~ that both of us would learn how to walk with God, and be transformed into the image of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. That we would together use the business on the land as a tool to train our children in the way they should go, so when they are old they will not depart.
~that all that God has given us, will be used for the glory of God, and to be a venue where the gospel is preached openly and zealously, with signs and wonders following.
~that God would grant me wisdom how to design a garden of rest and what plants to grow where.
~ that God would give me wisdom how nourish the poor soil and that He will heal our salty water.
~ that we produce good fruit so people will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.
My sincere prayer is for a spirit of unity on all of us to love God with all our heart,mind,and soul and love others as ourselves as we seek to honour God with our farms/gardens etc.
Yours Sincerely,
Janeice
We are so glad we found this blog. We will be praying for all involved on March 14th. We too are trying to start a little farm. We have 4+ acres of land and have lived here 16 years. My husband is retired now and we are making plans to have raised gardens, chickens, bees, and goats. I make goat milk soap and my husband weaves. We are hoping to live more self sufficiently but we need God’s guidance as to what steps to take. Our income in not allowing us to do all we want this year. We are hopeful but also cautious. We definitely need wisdom from God.
I am so blessed that you are doing this. I have shared it on my page! We must never forget Who has made all the bounty possible 🙂 May I ask you to consider sharing this on my ‘Encourage One Another’ Wednesday Link-up? I think it would reach many more that way! http://www.deeprootsathome.com/encourage-one-another-wednesday-link-up-77/ And you are invited to share every week! Blessings!
I am so thankful for the opportunity to join you in prayer. We live in a 4 1/2 acre farm with our two teenage sons. We share the farm with a few goats, some chickens and a peacock who thinks she owns us all.
God has blessed us in many ways.
We are trying to garden this year. Hope to raise chemical free fruits and veggies for our family and those in need. Please pray for for wisdom, patience and the diligence to follow Gods leading. Also, for our physical health and the health of the land. Most importantly pray that He is glorified by our little farm.!
My prayers will be going out for all.
I thank you for allowing me to pray with you.
Blessings
Kathee
This is such a wonderful idea! I will share this on my blog as well. We have a 25 acre farm in Indiana. We are doing our best to glorify Him in everything we do here. We have failed at times and do our best to learn from our mistakes, surrender ourselves to God, and keep going. I will be praying for all of you and appreciate your prayers as well in these areas:
1. That we will surrender ourselves and the farm to God, daily.
2. That we will continue to go against the grain(almost literally) in our corn and soybean county to raise our own food and raise our animals in ways that are glorifying to Him.
3. That we can set an example for others and bring more people to the farm as a ministry and learning experience.
4. That God would pinpoint what income ideas He has planned for the farm as we have many and have started some. And that He would bring my husband home as he desires to quit the corporate world.
5. And last but not least, that our faith in Him would not falter as we know this is a road less traveled!
Looking forward to this day of prayer!
This is a very uplifting post, thank you!
My name is Melissa. My husband, Luke, and I have 5 children and a small 5 acre farm. This is our first year so everything is a learning curve for us. Our goal is to become as self sufficient as we can. We homeschool our children and make everything we can. We are working with every ounce of energy we have to build up this farm.
Specifically we would love anyone who will to pray that we keep our trust in the Lord. I am a worrying person these days. I want nothing more than to give it all over to the Lord and let go of that worry but somehow I always end up worrying about all again. Please pray that I will remember through this all that this is all being done for the glory of God and it is in His Hands!
As far as production, please pray for us that the Lord would give is wisdom as we search out good husbandry practices, sow seeds, and build from the ground up. We pray for his blessing on this land, that His presence would known here. We pray that our first year of hard work will produce better than expected and that all glory will be His.
Thank you so much for praying for us. Thank you for the opportunity to pray for you.
Living in His mercy,
Luke and Melissa.
Just shared this on my blog as well–thank you!
domesticreformation.blogspot.com
So happy to have found this site. Thanking Lisa! 2013 is the Year of the Farmer. This year is my first year. I have 72 seeds started. They are primarily Hot peppers including scorpions. I have 90 rose seeds stratifying. I plan to put them in the seed pods tomorrow (I think) once I check for seed sprouts. I have other seeds to start. So I will definitely be praying for others and their endeavors as I pursue mine. May God and our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and your farming.
Back to basics! In all things trust in the Lord. I found this site a few days ago and shared on my facebook page, and am going to put it on my blog as well. I have gardened all my life. I’ve lived in cities but anywhere there is dirt I’ve got to plant something, and encouraged others to do the same. Now more than ever, I see how important it is to pass this knowledge and love for gardening on to our children and now to our grandchildren. We have been able to use the produce from the garden and other local farms to change the way we stock our kitchen. Canning and preserving of all types has helped to provide healthier food for family and friends.
The garden has always been my go to place for prayer. If all you can plant is one tomato plant, do it, and trust God for the fruit. Gardening can teach us so much, no wonder God told Adam and Eve to tend the garden. In dealing with thorns and thistles and weeds I am reminded of the curse, but when the harvest comes in I am in awe of God’s grace in the bounty! May we remember that grace is free for all now, but there will come an to this season of grace. Help us Father, to share seeds of truth and love with all those you bring into our lives, and please bless the hearts and gardens of those that are obedient to You, and help us to use our lives to bring You glory!
This is a wonderful idea! I am not involved in farming at the present time but I will be praying for all those who are involved. My dad farmed all of his life & was a Christian man so he would have agreed that this is wonderful. My best friend & his dad are farming & ranching & would be thrilled with this as well.
This is amazing!! It is so encouraging to see others who share the same love of the Lord and love of the land as I do. I got goosebumps reading the comments and will be praying with each of you for your needs and desires. With that being said, I would like to see, in my own life, a closer walk each day with God. I want Him at the center of all the decisions of my gardening/farming tasks. I market garden about 3 acres and about 1/2 acre in fruit. I also run a farmstand and look after 2 aging parents. So I also pray for strength to keep up. God bless each of you and your agricultural endevors no matter what the size.
Praise the Lord for everyone who is joining us in prayer today! I would like to add my farm to the prayer list here.
I am the farm manager of our family’s small farm on 150 acres in Alabama. Mostly wooded and hilly, our farm is dotted here and there with small fields, gardens, orchards, and ponds. We produce eggs, meat chickens, vegetables, fruits, and pork. We also have a milk cow and honey bees for our own use. We sell to neighbors, farmers markets, restaurants, organic stores, and are starting a community supported agriculture program this year.
Please pray for me:
-That God would draw me closer to Himself so that I can walk in faithful obedience to Him as I work each day.
-That God would daily give me victory over laziness, as well as greedy overworking.
-That God would help me to surrender my time to Him. That He would help me to manage my time as He directs and not get distracted and waste His time.
-That God would give me a love for others that displays itself in my interactions with them and my quality of work.
-That God would give me opportunities through my farming to share the Gospel with many people.
-That God would help me to find ways to involve my wife and son in my work.
-That God would continue to provide ways for me to encourage other born-again farmers.
Please pray for my farm:
-For health and protection for our chickens. There are a lot of predators in our area.
-For a vibrant and healthy vegetable crop, and for protection against damage by deer, rabbits, and other hungry critters.
-For plenty of produce throughout our 20 week CSA program
-For health for our hogs, milk cow, mules, geese, and dogs.
-For our milk cow to get bred. Please especially pray for this one. She is currently with the neighbor’s bull and is due in heat this weekend.
-For victory over weeds in the fields and gardens.
-For another 16 CSA members for our season. We are asking the Lord for 30 and have been blessed with 14 to sign up so far.
-For customers for all our products.
-For a financially successful year.
-For success in training our mules to cultivate our fields.
I am so blessed to be a part of a community like this. Thank you Jesus!
Grace be with you all,
Noah Sanders
thank you so much for sharing your heart ,and i am sure, the heart of the Father on this subject! i am starting a bible study from Farming God’s Way and wanted to share it in case others would be encouraged by it also…http://www.farming-gods-way.org/Resources/Translations/FGW%20Training%20Manual%20English.pdf
it is from a ministry that helps in 3rd world countries , i know there are others out there too- so exciting to see how He moves us, here and around the world!
God’s best blessings~a
Dear Noah,
Thankyou so much for the priviledge to be able to pray for your family and farm, and for all who have left a reply. Praise God in these last days He is raising up a generation that will seek His face and His ways. Due to unforseen work commitments, I was unable to pray and fast fully yesterday, but have done so today. I feel so blessed to unite with my family in Christ in prayer.
May you be incredibly blessed as you farm in His wisdom and counsel this year.
Yours Sincerely,
Janeice Anderson
I feel so blessed to be able to
Such a wonderful idea! I am praying that we will be able to sell our house and move onto a farm. We are trying to do as much as possible with what we have but are limited due to living in the city. We have driven past a farm that is for sale and are praying if it is to be that it will be our little haven on Earth.
I was in New Delhi India last week and was taken by shock to see how buildings are coming up over farm lands and how much farm lands are destroyed. This left me asking myself what was happening to the world and what the Lord was saying about this. I came across this website in my search and feel so blessed! I just ordered the book, I know it has to be part of the plan HE has! We have a 4 acre mini farm in Sri Lanka and I know the Lord has inspired me to ’till the land’ and am working on how to improve it and make it sustainable.
My fervent prayer is that we can truly serve the Lord through this farm and help others. Our desire is to make this a chemical free farm and I have started preparing for this. I pray that this will be a reality and we can serve the community with healthy produce.
Thank you for this wonderful website! May God bless all of us and inspire each other!
I was dreaming on a beach in Hawaii about having an acai farm and a big house called the Shmorgus Boarding House and having people come from all over to eat with my family and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. This was 4 years ago. My mom recently called me and said she just bought a house on 3 acres in Hawaii Kai. Does God answer prayers? yes he does. I’m not sure why God has planted this seed of wanting a farm in my heart, but its growing and I can’t wait to graduate college in … 2 weeks and move back to O’ahu to start the epic farming journey! Praise be to God for loving us soooooo much!
Good day all! Im so amazed by this. I was given a burden to pray for farmers that I have worked with since 2001, in my job , in diverse fields and varied crops, coffee, tea, cocoa, honey, sesame, cashewnuts, bananas, mangos, aloe, neem and macadamia nuts and I was just looking at the web for prayer materials when I came across this site! You are al very amazing and have done such wonderful and God glorifying things on your gardens that my prayer to you today is that may He smile upon your faces and your farms.Inm also involved in climate change adaptation for tea farmers and would like links to where I can get materials to get our farmers to adapt to this. You will not be asking what t he challenges the farmers I have worked with are facing. Im in Africa for starters.
God bless you and your families.
NB:
I have a 20 acre farm land that I now know is a garden of rest as one of you has rightly put it, and would like ideas on what to grow in there, how to plan it, and its just next to a river that is dry most of the time.
I love you with the love of Christ.
Abby