Prayer Unity

June 2, 2022

Our Thursday morning prayer time always begins with a Psalm; today’s was 85, a prayer which begins by remembering God’s favor and forgiveness, before praying for restoration and revival:

“Lord, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob. You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin… Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, Lord, And grant us Your salvation.” —Psalm 85:1-4, 6-7

In verse 8, he then pauses, something we would do well to imitate:

“I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly.”

Quietly listening is just as much a part of prayer as is voicing our requests. God often is ready to answer our prayers, but we’re too busy talking to hear what he has to say. In v. 10, God says something remarkable: “Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.” This actually happened in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The holy righteousness of God was fulfilled in his life and death, as he fulfilled the Law in both deed and in his atoning sacrificial death, making peace, as Paul said in Romans:

“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit…To be spiritually minded is life and peace.” “ —Romans 8:3-4, 6

This morning, I was praying this text about righteousness and peace kissing, and thanking God for his Word which gives us assurance when our feelings fail us. I had no sooner finished praying when pastor Joe read a text message he had just received from Nathan, who was praying at home. This was his text:

This is my prayer. Please share with the guys! 

Amen! 

“Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!”

Psalm 85:10 NLT

We can't receive His unfailing love outside the truth revealed about him in scripture. We can't experience the peace of God outside of righteousness (holy living). 

Help us to do our part Lord, so that we can lay hold of what you've already made available to us.

Neither Nathan nor I was aware of the other’s prayer until after we had each prayed THE VERY SAME PRAYER! When Jesus said “Where two or more of you are gathered together, there am I in the midst,” he included gathering in the Spirit as well as in physical proximity. He was with us both as we prayed from different locations the very same prayer thanking God for what he has done in Jesus, making righteousness and mercy kiss, and thanking him for his Word which unswervingly guides us where our feelings fail.