Orson Hyde Prophesies Rain During Drought and It Comes Before the Meeting Ends

Decades after an angel promised Orson Hyde the gift of prophecy during a moment of near-starvation in 1834, that gift was put to public test during a severe drought that devastated crops in Kanesville, Iowa, where Hyde presided over the Saints.

Facing a hungry and suffering congregation, Hyde stood before them and asked boldly: "Have I ever prophesied and it failed to come to pass?" The congregation enthusiastically responded, "No!" He then declared: "I prophesy in the name of Jehovah that we will have rain and our crops will be saved."

The meeting was held outdoors beneath a clear sky. By the time the closing remarks were delivered, rain had begun to fall on the assembled congregation. People scurried home for shelter as the rain came in torrents. The harvest that season was abundant, and the Saints regarded it as a direct fulfillment of the prophetic utterance made before them.

The account is notable for its public, verifiable nature — the prophecy was spoken to a large gathered congregation under an open sky, with immediate, visible, and ongoing confirmation through the weather and the subsequent harvest.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in Roy B. Huff, 'Orson Hyde: A Life of Lessons Learned,' Religious Educator 3, no. 2 (2002): 167–183.):

Decades later, when a drought hit the area of Kanesville, Iowa, over which Orson presided, he spoke to the Saints ravaged by the famine, “Have I ever prophesied and it failed to come to pass?” The congregation enthusiastically responded, “No!” Orson then went on to say, “I prophesy in the name of Jehovah that we will have rain and our crops will be saved.” The meeting was outside, and when the meeting began, the sky was clear. By the closing remarks, the rain began, and people scurried home for shelter.