Where are you thirsty for God’s refreshment? Through Rainy Night, Etaples and the hymn Even Me, this session explores divine blessing as living water. Participants are invited to breathe, reflect, and receive God’s showers of grace.

Text: Even Me by Elizabeth Codner (1860)

What does it mean to thirst for God’s presence? So often, our lives feel like a dry and weary land, parched by worry, grief, or longing. The psalmist cries out for refreshment, and in this prayerful reflection, that thirst is met with the image of God’s blessings pouring down like rain. The words of St. Paul of the Cross describe God’s communication as an exquisite perfume filling the soul, while the hymn Even Me reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s refreshing grace.

The artwork Rainy Night, Etaples by William Edouard Scott becomes the backdrop for this meditation. Its blurred lights, damp streets, and quiet figures walking under a steady shower evoke both the weariness of life’s journey and the abundance of God’s blessings. To those who have known dryness and longing, the painting offers a vision of rain falling freely, saturating everything it touches. In that rain, we are invited to see not just weather, but the outpouring of divine presence.

This time of prayer invites participants to imagine themselves walking into the scene—thirsty souls stepping into showers of blessing. Each drop becomes a symbol of God’s love, falling gently upon us and soaking into the deepest places of need. Through breath, reflection, and prayer, we are encouraged to tell God where we long for renewal, to listen for God’s response, and to consider whether the blessings we seek are freely given or call us toward new openness.

Even a single drop of such blessing holds immeasurable value. In a world that often leaves us weary, God meets us with refreshment, grace, and joy. The invitation of this practice is simple: breathe in the fragrance of God’s presence, let the rains of blessing fall upon you, and carry that refreshment into the world for others who are also thirsty.