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)
Dear heavenly Father, we bring our relationships to the occupied throne of grace today—praying for the refreshing “wonderful and pleasant” harmony you commend. We’re not naïve; we realize that until Jesus returns Satan will continue his assault on our friendships, marriages, churches, and families. 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 will resist him—tenaciously, like we’d resist an intruder trying to break into our homes; for that is 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 “blasting” our hearts constantly with the gospel 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 best of our relationships—for none of our relationships is beyond the reach or need of your grace. Help us to be the chief repenter in all of our relationships—the one most desirous of reconnecting, the quickest to humble ourselves, the one most bull-dogged committed to harmony. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.