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Here we are in yet another, hot and steamy summer in Texas .  With the temperatures in the upper 90's and 100's with no rain in most parts of the state to fill the tanks (ponds, to you non-Texans), there is a silent vigil being harbored for a cooler, wetter, fall and winter.  Normally, I would hear people talking about weekends on the river or at the lake floating, fishing or picnicking with family or friends but this year, many are staying at home and inside, out of the boiling, hot sun and heat that steals their breath away, with hopes the rain will come and fill the rivers and lakes once again. 

Not only are the humans suffering in this heat, the plants and animals are feeling the effects of the heat and draught as well.  The small farming and ranching operations are losing crops and having to sell off livestock due to the lack of rain.  Without rain, crops like; corn, soybeans, alfalfa, wheat, sorghum, rice and many grasses, coastal and otherwise, needed for feed for sheep, goats, chickens and cattle are dieing or not growing at all.  Without these crops, the replacement cost to purchase these feeds or having water hauled in from out of area or out of state brokers, is more than many operations and individuals can afford, forcing them to sell off livestock at a fraction of their worth in a suppressed market and at times, their homesteads.  Even with agricultural exemptions and local and federal programs to assist many smaller and some larger farms and ranches still can not make it, in the end  loosing out, some of these properties having been passed down through families for generations.

I know Texas is not the only state suffering this plight and I pray for relief for those as well.  I welcome any of you to pray with me for those inflicted by the draughts this year.   Pray, that God will lead them through whatever obstacles are placed in their paths and help them look with faith and hope to the future for better days through his grace and will.