Before President Donald J. Trump even took office, the Department of Energy found itself rattled by the questions the administration was posing. In a survey that was widely reported on, the administration demanded to know everything from highest paid employees to who was involved in climate research.

In the face of crisis, with more than 8,000 wildfires engulfing over 1.8 million acres of land and no significant rainfall for almost three months, then Texas Governor Rick Perry came upon an idea: prayer.