God uses prayer to bring great change in our world
today. I have noticed that prayer also
leads to unity amongst believers. We
find an example of this in Acts 4.
The believers held an important prayer meeting in Acts
4. Verse 31 informs us of the results of
that prayer: “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered
together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31, ESV).
It is no accident that immediately following this verse,
Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, included a statement summarizing the unity
experienced by the early Christian community.
“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul,
and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but
that they had everything in common” (Acts 4:32, ESV). Something happens in the Spirit when we join
together in prayer: we are knit together
in unity.
There are several reasons for this:
1.
When we spend time in prayer, we are shaped into
the image of God. The Trinity
experiences perfect unity. In His high
priestly prayer of John 17, Jesus prayed “that they may be one, just as we are
one.” As we spend time in the presence
of God, surrendering to Him, we will be molded into His image, and the unity we
have with our brothers and sisters will be reflective of the unity between the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2.
In prayer, we are synced up with God’s mission
and purpose. If each of us become synced
up with God’s agenda, we become aligned in unity with each other. My closest friends over the years have been
those whom I have served with in ministry.
It is because we have shared the same mission and passion for the
ministry to which we are called.
3.
When we pray together, we are much less likely
to criticize each other. James reminds
us that we should not bless the Lord with our mouth, and then turn around and curse
men who are made in the image of God (James 3:9).
4.
There is an inexplicable element, wherein as we
receive God’s love, it makes us want to love each other all the more.
I have deeply enjoyed the prayer emphasis this year. As I reflect on the designated times of
prayer in the first week of January, the prayer service on the Day of
Pentecost, and the prayer tours, I have enjoyed both being in the presence of
the Lord AND the unity I have felt with others.
As we continue in prayer, both in our respective ministry locations, and
also with those around the State, I believe we will continue to grow in our
unity together. This is pleasing to the
Lord, and is a powerful testimony to the world.
