When plants need watering, it is very obvious. Whether outside or inside, we can see when plants get droopy and need to have the refreshment of water for their roots that then travels throughout the plants to have them looking strong again. Regular watering is preferred that keeps plants healthy and thriving. Similarly, our pets need to have their water dishes filled and plenty of fresh water, especially on hot summer days. There is a parallel here to our experience as believers. Our thirst is for God. This is described in Psalm 42:1,2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God?” A satisfying opportunity to meet with God and to find our thirst for Him quenched comes through prayer. When we pray, we can express our longing for God. We can also expect Him to come and to meet with us and to bring us the soul quenching reassurance that only our God can provide. Not only do we pray for God to satisfy our thirst, we also pray for Him to satisfy the thirst of all who seek the living God. In our WEDNEDAY PRAYER TOGETHER for August 11th at 1 pm, I invite you to come prepared to meet with God and to experience quenching for the thirsting of your soul.
Praying that we will drink deeply as we pray and God satisfies our thirst for more of Him, Pastor Lola
Our God we come to You today and we are thirsty. The cares of life weigh us down and we do long for the refreshment of meeting with You. Thank You God for this sacred gift of prayer that allows us to come and to have our thirst quenched by You. In our time spent in prayer, we can recognize how parched we have become. Forgive us God for the times we do not come to You right away when we are thirsty. Forgive us for the times of “one more thing” before we come to the streams of living water that flow from You. When we do come and find refreshment in Your Presence, we receive what we need. Please keep reminding us of all that You make available when we come to meet with You. Our God, we are praying that in living lives of faith we will not be just “going through the motions.” We want our relationship with You to be vibrant and life changing. We ask that when we meet with You that You will quench the thirsting of our souls as we worship You. We ask that You will guide us in regular times of prayer and meeting with You so that we remain strong and ready to do Your will. Thank You for all the times You have met with us before and quenched our thirsty souls. Thank You that out of Your everlasting love for us You welcome us to come to You again and again. You never tire God of meeting with us. Your love for us never runs dry. Please place in us the same consistent care for others that You have for us. When we feel depleted because we have been caring for others, we look to You and Your endless supply of grace. Our prayer is for You to place a thirst in each person we know to long to meet with You. We are aware that we will continue to need You to quench our thirst for You in the days ahead. We had hoped that we were moving through all the effects of this pandemic, but we know there are more things to deal with on the horizon. Sometimes it feels like the hot relentless sun beating down on us and we long for relief. We want to come and to be refreshed by the certainty of who You are and Your love for us. These days God we find ourselves wondering about plans we try to make. We find ourselves wondering if medical tests and procedures will go ahead. We find ourselves concerned about waiting for test results. We find ourselves unsure about what to expect when schools open for in class learning in the fall. The news reports of increased cases of Covid trouble us. Oh God, all these unknowns could leave us extremely thirsty and dry. We come to You our living God and in meeting with you here and now, we reaffirm that we will choose to depend on You. Our thirst drives us to You the Source of all that we need. Praise You Father Son and Holy Spirit that we can come and drink deeply and find quenching for our souls in You alone. In Jesus’ Name we pray. AMEN.