Praying for unity - April 14

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:1-24; PM Psalm 12, 13, 14; Dan. 2:17-30; 1 John 2:12-17; John 17:20-26 

Last night, our kids did not want to go to bed. One had taken a long nap (known as the death knell to an easy weeknight bedtime). The other wanted to play another round of Jenga and was not finished processing hurt feelings from fourth-grade dynamics. And yet, it was time. Sam and I were tired. We needed to go to bed. Robinson went through a game of turning off all the lights and closing the door, with giggles galore. In the dark, we implored and cajoled him to calm down. Josephine snuggled up with Sam on the floor. One of the dogs joined their mix of cuddles. And then, our 5-year-old turned on his moon-shaped nightlight that brightened up the dark room. He motioned to me, “Mom, let’s come pray by the light of the moon.” We knelt on the carpet, surrounded by stuffed animals and racecars, and prayed. We prayed to God for friends and family, a big kid who is having a hard time, people who make racecars, and wrapped it up with an “Amen.” The room was more peaceful, and the rowdy children were ready to lie down.

As I sit here watching the sun rise gently on this Wednesday morning, I am moved by the stillness that can come from prayer. The words of our prayers don’t have to be perfect or flowery. They don’t have to be long and complex. As we come to God in prayer, what we do is present ourselves and enter the stillness and peace that God can bring – even if we are not feeling very still or peaceful.

There are times in my life when I struggled to pray. I did not know what to pray, or prayer to God simply did not come to mind. Scared and trying to keep up a face of “everything is going to be fine,” my heart and mind were otherwise engaged in survival. Maybe you have felt this way. Empty. Lost. In times of tumult and chaos, we often struggle to find the words for prayer. That is when our community comes to our aid – praying for us, encouraging us, lifting our intercessions to God. Those prayers bring stillness to us and bind us together with those who are entering into the love of Jesus in these moments of need and uncertainty. As names cross our lips, I imagine these silvery, whisp-like threads swirling toward God and moving toward those for whom we ask prayers…shimmering threads of healing, comfort, protection, wisdom, and stillness.

In John 17, we hear the closing of Jesus’ prayer to God on behalf of his friends and followers. He has just told his disciples that they will scatter but that he is not alone, because the Father is with him…and he said this so that they can have peace and be courageous. Jesus prays for God’s power to be revealed and for divine protection to surround his friends “so that they may be one, as we are one.” (v. 11) That prayer for unity and oneness continues in what we read today – for followers during Jesus’ time and those who will come to know the Messiah, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.” Jesus prays that we will kneel together by the light of a candle, or at the rising of the sun, being moved by the witness of the disciples and feeling that unity as one body. Jesus names that the symbol of oneness can be a twofold sign to the world, that “you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” 

Unity is an indicator of God’s present promise and perpetual love – and it is that togetherness that Jesus prays we will live into. It is a oneness with a purpose – so that we are filled with the love that God has made known in the world, made manifest in Jesus.

Jesus’ prayer is a powerful one. If you do not have the words to pray today, let yourself believe that this prayer from John 17 includes you. Ask a friend to pray for you. Ask a friend how you can pray for them. Pray for those who feel alone. Let us all be one in the love and prayer of Jesus.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

What do Jesus’ words “so that they all may be one” mean to you? What does it look like for the world to know God? In whom and where do you see God’s love in the world?

Daily Challenge

Prayer can be unifying, bringing healing when all else feels lost. Pray today for those who feel that they are beyond help. It may be someone you know. It may be for a person, cause or condition that you know of, but have no direct link. Revisit the words of Jesus’ prayer (John 17:1-26) as you sit in prayer.