Drought - Is This God's Judgment?

First came the drought. No rain and intense heat. Not just in one or two places. Not just in Texas or Arizona, where you might expect heat and drought. But this 2012 Drought has hit the Bread Basket of America. Corn, soy, wheat and other grains are drying up and turning into parchment. Without grain, especially corn, for animal feed, farmers and ranchers are selling their herds off as fast as they can.


This means a temporary glut of meat on the market, but then prices will soar as there are no more cattle, hogs or even chickens left to provide meat.

Lakes and rivers are drying up. Fish are dying. Even the Mighty Mississippi River has been closed to barge traffic because of low water levels.


Is this normal? Is this just a part of Nature's normal cycle? 


Well when you hear term of "unprecidented" "worst ever" "deadliest", then you might think this has never happened before. However, you should know that this type of nationwide drought and famine cycle has happened before, going as far back as Biblical times. 


In fact, God Himself stated that He is the one that shuts of the skies so that no rain falls:

Deu_11:17  And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
Deu_28:24  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
1Ki_8:35  When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:
2Ch_7:13  If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

So if God is judging the United States, what's the fix? 

2Ch_7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Here, it says "my people...called by my name". God isn't talking to the sinners, He's talking to those that claim to be His. Christians...Christ followers - kind of sounds like a group of people "called by" His name.

So, He's not saying that Sinners...the wicked have to humble themselves and pray, seek His face and "turn from their wicked ways". No! He's telling his Followers, in this case "Christians" to stop their wickedness. 

What's that's mean? Christians aren't wicked, are they? "After all, I go to church every Sunday!"

So what does God say about the wicked? Who are they?

Well, I was stunned to see that the first place in the Bible where people are described as "wicked" is in Genesis. See if you're as surprised as I was:

Gen_13:13  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. 

But the "men of Sodom"...where we get the term "sodomites" which describes homosexuals...were the first mentioned in the Bible as being "wicked and sinners".

How many denominations, once considered mainstream "Christian" now allow gays and lesbians in the pulpit as ministers? Approximately 11 denominations either openly allow and encourage ordination of gay ministers, or some of the independent individual churches affiliated with the denomination have decided to allow this.

So here we see that those that call themselves by His name are also identified in scripture by the very first reference of wickedness.

"Turn from their wicked ways." That's the primary condition for God healing the land and restoring rain.

Personally, I don't see those who are "happy" turning from their wicked ways and humbling themselves to repent before God.

Therefore, we can expect that this drought may continue and flow into the next phase of God's judgment: famine.