Unity In Heart

I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are—I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. John 17:22-23

Second Chronicles 20:3-4 recounts the story of an invading army. The leader of Israel, Jehoshaphat, was alarmed and went to God for guidance. He also instructed the people to observe a fast, and all the people came together in Jerusalem to pray for help. A serious situation demanded a serious solution.

When Bill and I were looking to move from youth ministry to the senior pastorate, we really had no idea where God wanted us to locate geographically, so we set aside a day to pray and fast.

All day I asked God to simply help me ask the right questions and to help me know what kind of decision-making grid he wanted us to use. As something came to mind, I’d jot it down. By the end of the day I had a list of nearly twenty things we should be looking for in the next ministry location.

When Bill got home from his day, he had his own list, and when we compared them, they were nearly identical! The list helped us greatly because we went from no one really wanting us to many opportunities, and the grid God had impressed upon us became the standard by which we made our choice.

Fasting and praying for unity is a powerful leadership guideline. As you take the time and energy to fast and pray, you are acknowledging a circumstance that is important enough to sacrifice for; thus, it gains seriousness.

Unity is easier to come by when people realize the importance of finding a unified answer.