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, 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 and marriages, families and churches, where we work and where we play. He’ll do anything to sabotage unity and sow dissension, raise suspicions and erode trust, create disconnect and fertilize division.
Father, for your glory, we’ll resist him tenaciously, just like we’d resist a thief trying to break into our homes; for that’s who Satan is—the intruder who’s 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 marinating in the gospel and abiding in your love. For the more we stay alive to your affection for us in Jesus, the less we’ll tolerate our pettiness and indulge our self-righteousness; the less fights we’ll pick or conflicts we’ll avoid; the more we’ll overlook and the less we’ll resent.
So grant us grace and wisdom for our messiest relationships, but also for our okay and healthiest relationships—for none of them are beyond the need or reach of the gospel. Help us to be the chief repenters and main forgivers in each of our relationships—those who speak words of life, encouragement, and healing. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.