GUEST DEVOTIONAL BY CARLA MCDOUGAL
Read: 1 Peter 3:8-12...All of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do no repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
In the quiet of your heart can you hear the orchestra? The variety of instruments played in unison can lull a crying baby to sleep or bring calmness in the midst of a storm. Many times when played alone the instruments almost sound out of tune or off key. But, when blended together they make a beautiful noise. Each one complimenting the other. The music inspires, soothes, and even mesmerizes the listener.
It In the verse above the Greek word for harmony is homophron which means "one mind, one passion." This is actually a combination of two words meaning to "rush along" and "in unison." Like with music... a number of notes played at the same time are different, but harmonize in pitch and tone. Captivating an audience from the moment the first note is played.
This is a picture of the body of Christ when we are of one mind. As instruments of a famous orchestra directed by a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the prayers of the saints. God desires for His children to pray together so they make beautiful music through their prayers. I love that 1 Peter 3:12 says, For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer. As the leader of the first church in Acts, Peter grasped the importance of coming together to lift praises and requests to the Lord. We should live out their example in our own lives.
Why do we make corporate prayer a last resort? Over and over God's Word shows us examples of believers praying together and God answering. God calls us to pray! This is exciting... God gives us an opportunity to participate in eternity with Him through prayer.
Let's do it! Let's pray together! Don't miss the blessing of drawing nearer to God and other brothers and sisters in Christ as you create beautiful "prayer" songs together.
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