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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 24 OF 25: “Lord, Give Us the Wisdom to Expect Righteousness in Our Sisters and Brothers in Christ, and Forgive All of Us as We Unite in Mutual Forgiveness of One Another’s Sins”
How many givers of all good things are there? You, and you alone, Lord, and the gift we ask first is wisdom. We pray, as did Solomon before us, that we may first receive understanding hearts, united in your love for all your children, as the body of Christ; and we know the Bible says, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3).
This is our prayer for wisdom, which we pray to the All-wise: that you would give us the tiniest fragment of the wisdom that is yours, so that we may also tower over your puny enemies by having the wisdom to live for the life eternal. The wisdom that is of man is foolishness to you, Lord, and we desire instead a part in your certain victory, which you have already won, and which you now show to the world in the increasing fullness of the glory of your power in the one body and Spirit of Christ.
Give us your kind of wisdom Lord, to know that in all our brethren in the family of God, we have a right to expect to see repentance from all unrighteousness, including all the fleshly lusts of this world, and including the carnal pride that causes divisions, for the Bible says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother” (1 John 3:9-10) and again, “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28), and again, “He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly” (Proverbs 2:7), and again, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom” (Proverbs 13:10), and again, “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established…” (Proverbs 24:3).
Be in our hearts, Lord, and teach us understanding. Help us to study the word of God which comes to man in the Spirit through the words of the Bible, and to know the Son who comes to man in the flesh. Holy Father, teach us to serve your Son, Jesus, by serving all your sons, and give us the light to see his Spirit among ourselves, in each other, our brethren in Christ.
Father, make us afraid lest we not serve Jesus in service to the body of Christ; for you sent Him to man once before, to take account of our work here in your vineyard; and we slew Him. When he returns again, let Him find us forgiven in His grace, praying constantly with faith in the one Spirit; the united body of Christ in obedience to His new commandment, standing steadfast against all evil with the boldness of the Spirit who is within us; and rejoicing with the freedom and joy of the Truth in our hearts.
Sweet Father, we humbly beg forgiveness of our sins, for we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We know that you give us mercy, Lord, which we cannot earn. We know that all our sins are forgiven, because we forgive all others for Jesus told us to pray this, “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us…” (Luke 11:4). We see the promise of grace for grace in the gift of your son, Jesus: In his life, and death, and life again. By your Son we know that with what judgment we judge, it shall be measured unto us again.
Therefore, Father, teach us all mercy to others, for the judgment we seek for ourselves is the judgment with all mercy. “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (James 2:13). Teach us to forgive all other Christians of all sins, that our own sins may be forgiven us in kind, that we may be counted among the righteous, so that our prayers may be heard and avail much.
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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