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     How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting. Psalm 133 (NLT)

Heavenly Father, the swell of divisiveness, rancor, and protest in our country is quite disconcerting. It moves us to bring our relationships to the occupied throne of grace today—praying for the refreshing “wonderful and pleasant” harmony you commend in this passage of Scripture.

We’re not naïve; we realize that until Jesus returns Satan will continue his assault on our friendships and marriages, churches and families, communities and countries. He will do anything and everything he can to sabotage unity and sow dissension, raise suspicions and erode trust, create disconnect and fertilize bitter roots.

Father, for the glory of your name, we’ll resist him tenaciously, like we’d resist an intruder trying to break into our homes. For that’s precisely who he is—the thief who has come to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). We will “make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). And the best way we can do that is by constantly preaching the gospel to our hearts—exposing our hearts to the riches of your grace.

For the more we are alive to your love for us in Jesus, the less we will tolerate our pettiness and indulge our self-righteousness; the less we will pick fights or avoid conflicts; the more we will seek to make peace and live at peace with one another.

So, Father, grant us grace and wisdom for our messiest of relationships, but also for the healthiest ones; for no relationship is beyond the reach or need of your grace. Help us to be the chief repenter in all of our relationships—the person most desirous of reconnecting, the quickest to humble ourselves, the one most bull-dogged committed to the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18). So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.

 

 

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