Creator God, we are worried about the trees in our home state of California and elsewhere in the world.

Article: According to the Los Angeles Times, the number of dead trees in California's forests has risen dramatically to more than 102 million. “The scale of die-off in California is unprecedented in our modern history.” said Randy Moore, the forester for the region of the U.S. Forest Service. Scientists say that five years of drought are to blame for much of the destruction. Unusually high temperatures have added to the trees' demand for water. And the lack of rain makes the trees susceptible to beetles that can kill them. Officials have also predicted we will see many more wildfires fueled by dead trees.

And so we pray this news . . .
Holy Transformer, we pray that you will encourage those who are refusing to see or do anything about this catastrophe to change their ways.

Help us to realize the life-sustaining connections between forests and our lives so that we look for ways to protect them from drought, disease, and wildfires.

We give thanks for scientists and researchers who are doing all they can to come up with programs to deal more effectively with climate change.

We are grateful for the diligence and often unheralded heroism of forest firefighters.

And last but not least, we pray that you will give patience and resilience to families who have lost their homes and trees who have lost their beloved companions.

Amen.


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