"All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king.
And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.”
1 Chronicles 12:38, 40
"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!"
Psalm 133:1
There are moments in the life of a congregation when we come together in unity, and it’s beautiful. Sometimes it’s a moment of worship together. Sometimes it’s a decision that’s made unanimously and with great joy. Those moments stand out as sweet and we look back on them with fond memories, partly because they are relatively rare. In a church those moments of unity are brought about by the Holy Spirit and they become touch-points that guide us as we move forward, standing on the decisions we made in those moments of unity.
Sometimes the very decisions we made in unity are questioned by a few who were soundly in favor of them before. Others will begin to murmur that they were never really happy with the decision that was made.
By God’s grace, David was unanimously elected king of all Israel. For that moment, at least, there were no detractors. Later there would be attempts to remove and replace him and on one or two of those occasions more than half of the people would take up arms against him.
Holy-Spirit led unity is a beautiful thing, fondly remembered, but it’s a rare experience. We move forward standing on those times of unity and the decisions made at those times.
Whether it’s a family, a church, or a nation, the same principle applies. Savor the precious unity when it’s there, and stand on it when doubts arise. Seek it as we move forward but don’t waver when it’s less evident.
Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of Your church, and Lord of the Nations. Thank You for giving us unity of heart and mind in our worship, in our life together, and in the decisions we make in our families, in our church and even as a nation. Lead and guide us by Your Holy Spirit and keep us united in Your will, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles