Clouds Without Rain

These conditions cannot be ignored and are affecting city dwellers and rural residents alike, though in different ways. Some areas experience “brown outs” as the electrical power system strains to meet the demand during peak periods. Consumers are faced with very large power bills that can wreck household budgets.

Farmers and ranchers are faced with the increased costs of irrigating fields and damage from heat stress to their plantings. Ranchers are feeding hay much earlier than usual since the pastures have dried up in wide areas of the agricultural belt in the United States. Ponds, lakes and streams are also drying up, making it difficult to water herds of cattle and sheep. Many herds are being dispersed in the face of this adversity, which will lead to higher prices as the meat supply in the food chain is reduced and as crops are affected by the intense heat.

Meteorologists are flummoxed as they try to explain these extremely harsh weather conditions. Commentators report on the hardships and ask “Why?” but have no answers.

However, answers are not far away. They are as close as a Book that most people have, but which few actually consult. The Bible actually contains many prophecies about the weather. For example, in Deuteronomy 28 God describes the blessings (benefits) that come from carefully obeying Him, and the curses (serious problems) that will result from disobeying Him and ignoring His instructions. In verse 12 He states, “The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season…” He goes on to say that if a nation does not obey that the weather will be adversely affected. Notice verses 23-24, “And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust…”

Can anyone deny that the U.S. and most of the English-speaking nations have turned away from the teachings of the Bible? Have we not, as a nation, embraced a philosophy that accepts perversion as normal behavior, and do we not find that basic morality based on integrity is a rare thing today?

In the face of this disaster, there is another “drought” that plagues our country in addition to the lack of rain. Though we face economic collapse, military decline, decaying infrastructure, and streets that are filled with crime, there is a dearth of effective leadership. Most leaders, at all levels of government, seem powerless to admit the facts and to deal with the problems head on. Great, soaring promises are made by many leaders involved in the political process, yet their proposed solutions are usually just warmed-over rhetoric that lacks the courage and self-discipline to face the facts and to take steps necessary to clean up the mess resulting from generations of political malfeasance and moral decline.

The Bible also addresses this situation, especially the empty promises, and the failure to deliver. In Proverbs 25:14 it states “Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind without rain.” And, this is not just an Old Testament premise. Consider the epistle of Jude in the New Testament. In describing those who had infiltrated the Church in that age with false doctrines and empty promises, he wrote in verse 12, “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water…” A stinging indictment which seems to fit today’s conditions.

If you want to experience “showers of blessings” (Ezekiel 34:26) as God works out His plan here below, subscribe to our Tomorrow’s World magazine and choose from our many booklets, which we offer free of any charge. In the meantime, watch the exciting telecast, “A World in Crisis!”