My heart is full as I write this article. Tonight I had the privilege of gathering with several hundred Christians from around our community for the National Day of Prayer. We came for two purposes: to praise our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, and to cry out to Him on behalf of our nation and community.
I do not know if that sounds exciting to you or not, but it was absolutely awesome. The Spirit of God was there. God smiled on our time together. It has been a while since I have experienced such an awesome sense of the Lord’s presence. I could have literally stayed all night and prayed and praised with this group.
We gathered together from many denominations and churches – Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Charismatics, Pentecostals and more. We gathered together as black and white. We gathered together as one – one people under one God. We gathered as a people at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. Our love for Jesus and desire for his blessing upon our lives and nation was greater than any of our differences. There was a sweet spirit of unity in Philadelphia Overcomers Church tonight.
I really believe that it pleases God when His people can cross denominational and racial lines to praise Him together. Jesus even prayed that we would be one: “I pray also for those who believe in me … that all of them may be one… May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:20, 23). If Jesus prayed for our unity, it must be very important to the Lord. Our unity as Christians can also be a real witness to the world. When our love and devotion to Jesus is greater than our differences, it makes our voice for Christ seem louder.
Psalm 133 also speaks of the power of unity among God’s people: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. It is like the precious oil poured on the head, running down the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robe. It as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore” (Psalm 133:1-3).
This psalm provides some unique insight into the power of unity as believers in Christ. It describes the power of unity as the precious oil poured on the head of Aaron the priest, and running down his beard and upon his robes. The oil here refers to the anointing oil that would poured over and upon the Old Testament priest as a symbol of their complete consecration and devotion to the Lord. Oil in the Bible is often symbolic of the Holy Spirit and His work in the lives of God’s people. The passage seems to describe how the unity of God’s people brings about the power and anointing of God’s Spirit. When the body of Christ gathers together as one, the presence of God’s Spirit is real and powerful.
The psalm also describes our unity as the dew of Hermon. The dew of Hermon was very thick and profuse, and it ensured that Mount Zion was well watered. This meant that Mount Zion would be very rich and fertile. The last description given is that the Lord would command his blessing and life on the place where his people are gathered in unity.
I hope you are following along with me. What all this means is that God loves unity a whole lot. When God finds his people gathering together as one, God promises to send His Spirit. God declares that His blessing will be there, and it will be a rich and fruitful place. That is what I think we experienced tonight at Philadelphia Overcomer’s Church. We gathered as one, and God smiled. God blessed. God poured out His Spirit, and we left full – full of His love, His power, and His grace. And that’s the Word.
Tags: David Yarborough, national day of prayer, st. simons community church, the brunswick news, What's the Word?