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 James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...

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 an ...

for "the healing of our land exas and for an end to

the drought ''The Burning World'' is a 1964 science fiction novel by British author J. G. Ballard. An expanded version, retitled ''The Drought'', was first published in 1965 by Jonathan Cape. Plot In contrast to Ballard's earlier novel ''The Drowned Wo ...

. 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 Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

, 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.

References

{{Rick Perry 2011 in religion 2011 in Texas Droughts in the United States Rainmaking (ritual) Religion in Texas Religious events Rick Perry

Aftermath

See also

References