Submitted by Rev. Dr. Della O. McKinnon, Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalms 42: 1-2a (NRSV)
O Mighty God, we give thanks to your holy name. We praise and honor who you are in our lives. We understand that without You we cannot succeed on our own. We recognize the power of your Holy Spirit that empowers us to live in this moment.
Lord, as the deer longs for flowing waters, so does our souls yearn for you. Give your people an ear to hear you clearly in the chaos and confusion in our society. In a world of social distancing, keep us spiritually connected to the flowing streams of your righteousness. O God, as we shelter in place, dwell within our temples that the living waters flow to refresh our communities to an everlasting thirst for you. Despite the pandemic that our country is facing, our souls’ thirst for you. O come and quench our thirst—fill our cups and let it overflow! Let us not be distracted by the authorities in this world, but keep our eyes lift to You who has all authority on earth and in heaven. We humble ourselves before You. Humble this nation. Make us to know that we need You, our living God: One who responds to the cries of His people and wipes their tears away; One who will deliver the righteous from the snares of the pestilence and rescue them from pandemics. You are a living God who is familiar with our infirmities yet full of compassion.
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so our souls long for You. We want to be where You are. We long to be in Your presence where there is fullness of joy! In our distress we thirst for the true and living God! Quench our thirst.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.