Photo: Gathered in His Name Intercessory Prayer and Outreach group members Andrea, Nicole, Titi and Shannon prepare to hand out breakfast bars and cold bottles of water to people walking the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, Maryland during a hot summer morning on Saturday, August 1, 2026.

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”[a] (John 7:37-38, NIV)

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14, NIV)

On Saturday, August 1, 2026 our Gathered in His Name Intercessory Prayer and Outreach group met on the Capital Crescent Trail, where the heat, humidity and mosquitoes did not relent! Nevertheless, we (Andrea, Nicole, Shannon and Titi) persisted in prayer, trusting the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of those He would bring us to pray for. We prayed that their hearts would thirst for the Lord and be forever satisfied in Him. As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after thee! (Psalm 42:1). The prayer focus was on how Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and He is our path for relationship with our Heavenly Father; to be adopted as His children, to have eternal life in His eternal family. We are grateful to share this Good News! Nicole read an excerpt from A.W. Tozer’s book, The Pursuit of God, where Tozer describes the intricate manner in which priests in the Old Testament had to approach God, first from the Outer Court. Jesus’s death on the cross tore the veil in two that separated us from God, making Jesus our High Priest and our Intercessor. He became the propitiation for our sins. Because of Jesus, we have direct access to God anytime, anywhere for anything, however often! Andrea invited us to read Psalm 86 along with her as we stayed a moment on verse 11, “Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” (NIV)

Water is Life

Perfect for the hot day, we passed out cold bottles of water and breakfast bars to several people on the trail. (We brought 32 bottles of water and 32 breakfast bars). Those who received the free cold water were grateful though some were taken by our kindness that the water was free, no strings attached. Many asked, “Really? It’s free?” The free bottle of water became a picture of the free gift of salvation. We do not earn God’s grace. We simply receive it by faith. “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

All smiles as we had wonderful opportunities to meet the physical needs of hunger and thirst and spiritual needs with prayer for people God brought to us along the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, Maryland!

Throughout the morning, Titi said, “Water is life.” That simple phrase became one of the day’s themes. In Scripture, water represents God’s provision, life, cleansing, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus offers living water that alone satisfies our deepest thirst (John 4:10-14; John 7:37-39). Only the Messiah could give this gift that satisfies the soul’s desire. As we handed out cold water, we prayed that physical thirst would point people to their deeper spiritual thirst for Christ. That their spiritual thirst would be quenched in Jesus and that they would never thirst again. We also prayed over the bottles of water others would consume even without us praying with them.

A Conversation Door Opener

Meeting physical needs opens the door to spiritual conversations. Offering cold water and breakfast bars created a natural, pressure-free icebreaker. We were not asking people to sign up, donate, or commit to anything. We simply gave freely. Many people naturally asked who we were or what group we belonged to, which opened the door to sharing about Gathered in His Name and offering prayer. Several people responded, “I really need prayer!” The simple act of kindness created space for the Holy Spirit to work. It reminded us of Jesus’ ministry. He often met physical needs before addressing spiritual needs.

Whether bicyclists, runners, or walkers, we prayed with several people. Many were drawn to our colorful shirts and our “vibe.” From the curious with unspoken prayer requests, to a woman undergoing chemo for breast cancer, to excited expecting parents who wanted prayer for their preborn baby, we were delighted to pray for each person. We also prayed for Titi’s older sister in Africa who was dealing with a severe case of malaria. We prayed for her quick and full recovery. Titi told her sister that we prayed for her. (*Titi told us several days later that her sister “felt the effects of our prayers” and that “God took control and quickened her healing.” Her sister has recovered well, praise God!! Hallelujah!!) Each encounter reminded us that we were following the Holy Spirit instead of an agenda. Shannon shared a beautiful observation that really resonated with all of us. Many of us are naturally performance oriented and task driven. This ministry, however, requires us to surrender our agenda to the Holy Spirit. We are not measuring success by numbers, productivity, or checking boxes. We simply show up, enjoy being with Jesus, remain attentive to His leading, and trust Him to bring the people He wants us to meet. It is a ministry of presence, dependence, and obedience.

Our prayer was that as people’s physical thirst was temporarily satisfied, the Holy Spirit would awaken an even deeper thirst; a thirst for Christ, the only One who can truly satisfy the human heart. To never thirst again.

– Nicole and Andrea