The Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas was a designated period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, during which Texas governor
Rick Perry asked that Texans
pray
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...
for "the healing of our land
exas and for an end to
the drought.
The governor noted that in the past, Texans "have been strengthened, assured and lifted up through prayer", and that he thus believed prayer to be an appropriate measure to address the drought.
Perry designated the Days of Prayer in a gubernatorial
proclamation
A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...
issued on April 21.
Precedents for his action included similar initiatives in Texas at the municipal level and a prayer service for rain led by
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
governor
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as t ...
in 2007.
The proclamation, which did not specify a text for the prayer and called for the "Days of Prayer" to begin on
Good Friday, received some criticism.
Aftermath
The drought continued to worsen for four months following the Days of Prayer. While only 15–17% of the state was undergoing exceptional drought by late April, the percentage grew to 50% a month later, and by late June, more than 70% of the state was experiencing exceptional drought conditions, a level at which it persisted until August 18, 2011.
Most of the drought conditions subsided by the end of summer, when rain returned to various parts of Texas.
The first major rain in the state after the Days of Prayer came 168 days later on October 9, 2011.
See also
*
Rainmaking (ritual)
Rainmaking is a weather modification ritual that attempts to invoke rain.
Among the best known examples of weather modification rituals are North American rain dances, historically performed by many Native American tribes, particularly in the ...
*
2011 Texas wildfires
*
Efficacy of prayer
The efficacy of prayer has been studied since at least 1872, generally through experiments to determine whether prayer or intercessory prayer has a measurable effect on the health of the person for whom prayer is offered. A study in 2006 indicate ...
References
{{Rick Perry
2011 in religion
2011 in Texas
Droughts in the United States
Rainmaking (ritual)
Religion in Texas
Religious events
Rick Perry