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, in response to this wonderful Psalm, we bring our relationships to the occupied throne of grace today—praying for the “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 to sabotage unity and sow dissension, raise suspicions and erode trust, create disconnect and fertilize bitter roots in our relationships.
Father, for the glory of your name, we will resist him tenaciously, just 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 alive we are 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; the more we’ll look to you, and not to any human being, to meet the deepest longings of our hearts and heal the oldest wounds that we carry.
So, Father, grant us grace and wisdom for our messiest relationships, but also for our healthiest relationships—for all of them need you. Help us to be the chief repenter and main forgiver, in each of our relationships—the one most desirous of reconnecting, the quickest to humble ourselves, the one most bull-dogged committed to harmony and peace-making. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.
