Family Unity

Today, I hear of so much strife and bickering among family members. It’s more than the normal sibling rivalry that most of us have seen in our families, but separating of ties — having nothing to do with each other. There’s not only the huge increase in divorce — even in the Church — but there’s the separation of parents and their children. So much pain! There’s also great division among members in the body of Christ. This should not be so.

I want to share with you a prayer that we pray as part of our prayer blanket every day. It comes from Chapter 7 of Stormie Omartian’s The Power of the Praying Parent. We pray this for our families, and all our tent (which includes you), and for all of the Family of God:

Lord, we pray for all of the children in this tent, including Your children, Lord, and for their relationship with all family members. Protect and preserve them from any unresolved or permanent breach. Fill their hearts with Your love and give them an abundance of compassion and forgiveness that will overflow to each member of the family. We pray for close, happy, loving, and fulfilling relationships between daughters and mothers, sisters, brothers, sisters and brothers, fathers and sons, and all sisters and brothers in Christ for all of the days of their lives. May there always be good communication between them and may unforgiveness have no root in their hearts. Help all our children and Your children Lord to love, value, appreciate, and respect one another so that the Godordained tie between them cannot be broken. We pray according to Your Word, that they “be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

Teach all to resolve misunderstandings according to Your Word. And if any division has already begun, if any relationship is strained or severed, Lord, we pray that You will drive out the wedge of division and bring healing. We pray that there be no strain, breach, misunderstanding, arguing, fighting, or separating of ties. Give each one a heart of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Your Word instructs us toe “be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.” Help us to live accordingly, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”. In Jesus’ Name we pray that You would instill a love and compassion in all of us for all our family members including the Family of God that is strong and unending, like a cord that cannot be broken.

May we each pray this each day for our homes, and all our tent, and for the Body of Christ. Jesus prayed in John 17, in the Garden of Gethsemane, that we will be one as He and the Father are one! Without family unity, that cannot and will not happen. Without Church family unity, that also cannot and will not happen. We waiting on Him to come, and He’s waiting on us to be ONE! It doesn’t just happen. It takes effort not to separate. It takes patience and love to unite.

The prayer we learned as children, at least most of us did. Those my age, we prayed this publicly at PTA meetings and community meetings. We called it the Lord’s Prayer. There’s one little word that makes a world of difference in that prayer. It is a 2-letter word…the word AS. The part I’m referring to is where it says …”Forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Do we have people that have trespassed against us that we are still angry with or at least we have nothing to do with them. Are they a family member? Are they a member of the Family of God? Or here’s a hard one..Did Jesus also die for their sin, that they not perish, but have everlasting life..even if they’ve not yet received?

Create in us a clean heart O God! Renew in us a right spirit! Wash away all the hardness in our hearts toward our family members and our pastors and any and all who have trespassed against us! May we forgive even our enemies. We’re told to judge not and that the same measure that we use in the judgment of others is the one the Lord will use with us. I want a humongous measuring stick or tape! 🙂

I am excited about what will happen if we all take this message to heart! I believe that is the love 1 Cor. 13 is talking about. We hold nothing against anyone..we endure all things to walk in that love!

In Jesus’ Name,

Teddi