Morning Prayer: Streams in the Desert
Updated: Sep 2, 2020
The Call to Prayer
Let the righteous rejoice in YHWH and take refuge in God.
Psalm 64:10
The Request for Presence
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
Psalm 42:1
The Greeting
O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1
The Hymn
As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after You;
You alone are my heart’s desire , and I long to worship You.
You alone are my strength, my shield; to You alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship You.
I want You more than gold or silver; only You can satisfy.
You alone are the real joy-giver and the apple of my eye.
You alone are my strength, my shield; to You alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship You.
You're my friend and You are my brother even though you are a King.
I love You more than any other, so much more than anything.
You alone are my strength, my shield; to You alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship You.
Martin Nystrom
PCC Hymn #27 As the deer (vs 1)
The Refrain
Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”
John 7:37b-38
A Reading
But you, Israel, my subjects, Leah, Rachel, and Jacob, the ones I chose, descendants of Abraham, my friend—I am bringing you back from the ends of the earth, I summon you from its farthest corners; I call you as my own: I choose you and will not reject you: Fear not, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, and I will uphold you with my strong right hand.
I am YHWH, your God! I have taken your right hand in mine. Don’t be afraid, tribe of Leah and Rachel and Jacob, poor worms! Don’t be afraid, Israel, puny mite! I will help you—it is YHWH who speaks—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.
The poor and needy seek water but find none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I, YHWH, will answer them myself! I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them. I will make rivers run on barren heights, and fountains bubble up in the valleys; I will turn the wilderness into a lake, and dry ground into a spring. I will put cedar trees in the wilderness, acacias, myrtles, and olives. In the desert I will plant the cypress, the elm and the evergreen side by side, so that all may see and know, all may observe and understand that the hand of YHWH has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Isaiah 41:8-10,14,17-20
The Refrain
Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”
John 7:37b-38
The Psalm
Sometimes God turned rivers into desert, springs of water into arid ground,
or a fertile country into salt flats, because the people living there were corrupt.
So God would turn a desert into pools of water, or an arid country into flowing springs
to give the hungry a home, a place to build and call their own.
There they sow fields and plant vineyards that yield a plentiful harvest.
God blesses them, their numbers grow, and their livestock never decrease.
Or their numbers dwindle, with oppression, disaster, and hardship taking their toll.
God pours contempt on the nobly born and leaves them to wander in trackless wastes,
but lifts the needs out of their misery, and increases their families like flocks.
The upright see it an rejoice,
but all wrongdoers shut their mouths.
If you are wise, study these things and realize the great love of YHWH.
Psalm 107:33-43
The Refrain
Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”
John 7:37b-38
The Gloria
All glory to Almighty God
for love so deep, so high, so broad!
The Trinity whom we adore
forever and forever more.
15th c. Latin, translated by Benjamin Webb
PCC Hymn #205 O love, how deep, how broad, how high
The Lord’s Prayer
The Prayer Appointed for the Day
O God, guide us in our life of faith. When we are in deserts, please turn our deserts into rivers of living water. When we are in lush forests, may we never keep your blessings for ourselves. May we never build a dam to keep your living waters away from others. Instead, as your living water brings life to our deserts, may it also flow through us to bring life to others’ dry land. Amen.
The Concluding Prayer of the Church
You call us to love those whom you would love, and give us the words to say.
You call us to bring wholeness to lives that are broken, and give us the words to say.
You call us to bring comfort to those who are grieving, and give us the words to say.
You call us to bring good news to those who are seeking, and give us the words to say.
Your word, living water in desert sands.
Your word, blossoming in parched earth.
Your word, bearing fruit wherever it is sown.
Amen.
John Birch
http://www.faithandworship.com/
Inspired by Phyllis Tickle’s The Divine Hours, Pocket Edition