Apache Junction, Arizona
Opening Prayer
O God, you are my God; Earnestly I seek you; My soul thirsts for you; My body longs for you, In a dry and weary land Where there is no water. -Psalm 63:1 (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible God gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:29-31 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin O Lord, you have blotted out my transgressions like a thick cloud and my sins like the morning mist. I will return to you, for you have redeemed me. -Isaiah 44:22 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified -John 7:37-39 (Think deeply on these life-giving words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others O Lord, hear my prayer; listen to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for you will answer me -Psalm 86: 6-7 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer God, help us to see others not as our enemies or as ungodly but rather as thirsty people. And give us the courage and compassion to offer your Living Water, which alone quenches deep thirst. -Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) 
Wickenburg, Arizona
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