The following article was written by George Radanovich, a former U.S. representative for California. What do you think of his suggestions?

I grew up in gold rush country near Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. I’ve spent endless days hiking, fishing and swimming the mountains, rivers and lakes in this part of the world. As a county supervisor and later, as a US congressman representing the forests and farmlands of central California, I know how critical water is to the welfare of the western United States.

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Find out when your state prays.

Our weather has changed over the last 20 years.

Before the 2022-23 rain season, California was in the grip of some very strange weather. The dryness of summer would extend into the late fall and even winter months. The weak weather systems that did blow through brought only high winds that intensified destructive wildfires, consuming the dead wood left behind by years of drought. Whatever storms did wet the West were sporadic “atmospheric rivers” and “bomb cyclones.” Springtime would arrive early and with it, an early fire season.

This weather pattern affected the entire western United States. In the Colorado River Basin, lake levels at Glen Canyon and Hoover dams were reaching historic lows. The drought was getting very serious.

In a news story about Lake Mead, the lake behind the Hoover Dam, I remember watching a water agency representative say, “You can pray all you want, but prayer will do no good, we need to act now to cut back water and preserve a dwindling resource.”

Last September, Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah called for prayer to relieve the drought. The negative responses really stuck in my craw, including the scathing criticism of Johnathon Oliver in a twenty four minute diatribe.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation responded to this request by stating, “Nothing fails like prayer. Wishful thinking cannot suspend natural law, much less cause precipitation. Utahns do not need prayers, they need real solutions. Cox should pray on his own time and dime.“

I decided I was not willing to give our water supply up to “climate experts,” government officials or non-believers. The world is still more than we know.

So, in the spirit of salt and light (Matt 5:3-16), I decided to intercede for the climate of California and the western United States. More specifically, I claimed the earth, it’s atmosphere and climate for the Kingdom of God, using the spiritual authority given to all believers of Jesus Christ.

I am hesitant to publicize this, and truly believe that we are only empty vessels for the Spirit of God, but the results speak for themselves. Despite the fears and dire predictions of another dry year, the rains came in the Fall and continued in abundance through April, in California and the western United States. This year Utah had the 10th wettest January in recorded history.

Something strange is happening with the climate of the earth and I don’t know how it plays into Christian eschatology, but I do know that we are called to be salt and light in this world. Also, scripture says that if we turn from our wicked ways and seek the Lord, he will heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). We are salt by claiming the earth, the atmosphere and the climate for the Kingdom of God and we are light by proclaiming the Gospel to unbelievers.

Christians have been given great authority to impact the Lord’s Kingdom. I believe that includes the earth, it’s atmosphere and climate. It could be that the lack of prayer and spiritual warfare is the reason our weather is so strange. Perhaps we need to be bold and claim that God will heal our land if we return to Him. Why leave this issue to the “climate scientists” and unbelievers?

What do you think of this article? Share your thoughts and prayers below.

(Written by George Radanovich, former U.S. Representative. Photo Credit: George Radanovich)