40|50 Project: 40 Days To Heal A Nation’s Racial DivideSample

Week 6: One Family in God

Day 37: Make Us One

That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. John 17:21-23

Jesus prays that we - His family - would be one, just as He and the Father are one so that the world will know that God sent Him. He prays that we be made perfect in unity, again, so that the world would know that God sent Him and loves them. Our unity is a testament to the world that Jesus is. 

I believe that unity in the family of God has been so hard fought because when we are in perfect unity, the world sees the Lord and is drawn to Him. The fact that racism, violence and injustice have divided the church in our country for 500 years shows how powerful it would be if we laid down our pride, greed, fear and division and came together, showing the rest of the world what God looks like. 

ACTION: In these last days of our 40-day journey together, let us earnestly pray the prayer of Jesus that the Father would make us one and then lay down everything that keeps us from being one so that this can be a reality. The Church depends on it. 

PRAYER

Father, we pray that we may all be one, even as You, Father, are in Jesus and Jesus is in You, that we also may be in You, so that the world may believe that You sent Jesus. May we be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Jesus, and loved us, even as You have loved Jesus. Please keep us safe, in His Name, we pray, Amen.