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This page was last updated on May 14, 2000
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, below is an excerpt from a Christian unity prayer. Please give it prayerful consideration and, if the Spirit leads, please pray this yourself and let us agree together in it, in prayer before the Lord.
CHRISTIAN UNITY PRAYER, PART 22 OF 25: “Father, We Watch and Pray Together United in the Name of Jesus, Your Love For All Your Children, of Every Christian Denomination and Group, That Our Joy May Be Full, In the Ever-increasing Fullness of Joy in Your Presence”
You glorified us, Father, and justified us when we answered your call and you formed us together in Jesus to take our rightful place of service to the body, called to your peace with all our brethren in the body of Christ, which is His image for the world to now see in us Christians, for the Bible says, “¶ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30).
With joy, Father, we have begun to become one in Jesus in the glory he has already given us. In due time, Father, God of all grace, you exalt us in the eternal glory of Jesus as we submit ourselves in humility as younger brethren to each other, our elders, to be perfected by you in your love for all your children, for the Bible says, “¶ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time…” (1 Peter 5:5-6), and again, “¶ But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).
Father, we humbly thank you for the glory you gave Jesus that he’s already given us that we may be one, and we joyously thank you for the earnest of the Spirit you’ve given us already, looking for the coming fullness of joy in your presence with us, because the Bible says, “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our heart” (2 Corinthians 1:22). It is our greatest present joy to know that it is certainly given to us to eventually become fully united together in Jesus, when you deliver us whose names are all written in the book of life, for you said “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). We know that although the time also surely comes when some of us of understanding will fall, to be tried, and purged, and made white, yet we rejoice now to know that after the tribulation, all of us will be delivered because our names are written in the book.
Knowing that the time of great trouble surely comes, we pray continually, Lord, together in the name of Jesus, that you would “…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” (Matthew 6:13), for Jesus said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41), and again Jesus said “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36). We ask, Lord, that you will keep us from temptations and trials, that you would help us to make ourselves such that we are counted worthy to escape the evils which come. We ask, Father, that you would shorten such days for the sake of us who are the elect, and hasten the time when “…the Spirit and the bride say, Come…” (Revelations 22:17).
In order to prepare the bride, so that she may be presented to you whole and perfect, ready and waiting with her lamp full of the oil of the Spirit, we have already begun to unite by your Spirit and in your word, Father, because we look forward with eager anticipation to the time when these words shall be said concerning you and us, “…Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelations 21:3-4). Only then, Father, and only in Jesus and with you, will our joy be made completely full, when we have no more tears. We pray now, Lord, for the joy of your ever-increasing presence in us, in the body of Christ, because the Bible says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalms 16:11). We now pray together in the name of Jesus, that you soon make our unity in Jesus complete and make our joy with you full, Lord; and we know you will, for Jesus said, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). We watch for the soon coming of our sweet Jesus, and our spirits pray together as with one voice, without ceasing day and night, so that at any hour He may come and find faith in us in our prayer.
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Love in Jesus to All!
We cordially invite any interested Christian to read and pray the rest of this prayer, or just to come and talk with Christians of all backgrounds, on a Christian unity email discussion mailing list. We’d love to hear from you about any Christian topic at all, and especially to discuss any topic related to unity of all Christians, of all Christian denominations and groups. (Btw, non-Christian visitors are welcome too!) You can find info on the email discussion mailing list, which is called the “Christian Unity Conference” (CUC), or info about a combined effort on a larger prayer for Christian unity, part of which is shown above, called the “Christian Unity Prayer Project” (CUPP), by going to the following URL:
http://www.superior.net/~pjrcmr/prayerparts.html