A Deeper Look: Klamath County
Klamath County, Oregon
And the Lord shall guide thee continually,
and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like
a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Isaiah 58:11.
The May 17th primary is getting close.
Presumably you have received your ballot and voter’s guide by now, and many
have already voted. My church, like many, makes a Christian voter’s guide
available. There are some conservative and/or Christian voters guides out there,
to assist voters in understanding candidates’ positions on various issues, but
most I’ve found are in print, not digital.
Here is one online guide that lists the major
candidates for US Senate and House, but not the governor’s race. Oregon | iVoterGuide.com
Klamath County, the focus for this week’s
blog, has several positions up for election. Open county positions include
County Commissioners #1 and #2; County District Attorney; County Assessor;
County Justice of the Peace; County Clerk; and County Treasurer.
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| Klamath County |
When I think of Klamath County, I think of water problems. While disagreements over water rights and fish habitat is long-standing and complicated, the recent issues are due to the past couple of years low-rainfall. Drought conditions have continued through much of the southern Oregon region.
The water supply is not looking good for the
rest of Oregon either, with the official forecast - as of the first quarter of
2022 - below average for nearly all watersheds across Oregon. This impacts
farmers and ranchers, of course, but homeowner’s wells in many places in Oregon
are going dry.
We are in a season of drought.
The Bible has things to say about drought.
Several passages speak of drought coming in response to sins such as idol
worship. And certainly, repenting for the “sins of our fathers” is appropriate.
In fact, a foundational verse for those praying for revival is II Chronicles 7:13-14,
When I shut up heaven and there is
no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send
pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble
themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I
will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
However, for prayer warriors it is good to
remember our position in Christ, and to remember the authority given us as
believers. Even the Old Testament prophets had authority over the rain. In I Kings 17:1 the prophet Elijah said to King
Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not
be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.
James 5:17 records, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and
he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for
three years and six months.
At Elijah’s word the rain stopped, and at
his word the rain came back. As born-again believers, we can repent, we can pray,
and we can declare the drought in the state over. In Numbers 21:17 the Israelites
sang, Spring up, O well. Let’s do the same.
How do we pray for Klamath County?
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try
me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead
me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24.
Pray for the County Commissioners.
According to the county website, there are three commissioners, but currently
one seat is vacant. The remaining commissioners are Kelley Minty Morris and
Derrick DeGroot.
Pray about the water issues. Tensions are
high. Pray against violence and hard feelings among various groups including
ranchers, farmers, and the Native Americans. Pray for wisdom and justice to
prevail.
Pray for those losing water to their
homes, and for those losing livestock, crops, and fish.
Pray for the elections in Klamath County,
that the voters will have discernment.
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