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by Pastor Wayne Alcorn, National President: Australian Christian Churches

Intention
Prayer for unity.

Scriptures
How good and how pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
~ Psalm 133:1 NIV

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
~ Acts 2:1

Reflection
At a time in history when there are so many things bent on bringing division, consider how significant and powerful unity can be. Even in the Church, there can be disunity and disharmony at times, but it is when the Body of Christ is in one accord that the blessing and power of God overflows.

Have you ever imagined what it was like for the disciples who were gathered in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost? Acts 2:1 says that they were in “one accord in one place” and in that place of unity, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. No doubt there was a mix of different cultures, opinions and preferences, yet they still chose to be of one heart and one mind. It’s about unity, not uniformity, and what we agree on: the Lordship of Jesus and His mission on the earth.

You may have experienced a sense of such unity in a gathering of Christian believers where everyone has one heart and one spirit. I was recently at a conference where I could sense the tangible unity that comes with the presence of God. From the worship to the messages by those on the platform, to the camaraderie in between the meetings, there was a sense that every person there had one heart and one spirit.

We know this is the heart of God towards us. In John 17, Jesus prayed at length in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus, and the dominant theme was that we would “be one”. The consequence of our unity is noted in verse 23, “Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me”. Surely that is why the Church exists!

Incredible things happen when we are united. Think of how we are standing together in prayer for our nation, and to pray for rain to break the drought.

As we unite in prayer this month, let us believe in faith that God will hear our prayers and pour out His blessing and rain to bring relief to our farming communities struggling in the drought-ravaged regions.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we pray that You hear the cries of Your people today, as all over our land we kneel before You with one heart and one mind. We pray for an outpouring of Your Spirit upon souls, and an outpouring of rain upon our dry land. We pray that in the midst of this drought, both in the spiritual and in the natural, Your Church stands strong together in unity and points our nation to You as the answer to our prayers. In the name of Jesus, Amen.