Praying together should be a central element of every local church gathering. One thing I love about PBC is that our corporate prayers are meaningful. They're not liturgical filler, designed merely to help the service transition from singing to preaching. They're intentional. Every week we take a journey in prayer as a church. We praise God for who He is, we remember who we are and confess our sins, we thank God for what He's done (chiefly in the Gospel) and we ask God to work in our midst as a church, in the broader Christian community, in our country, and in the world. 

Every now and then I like to highlight a prayer that was delivered during one of our worship services. What follows is a prayer of praise delivered by Sandra Lindell on March 21, 2021. She was specifically praising God for His unity. I hope you're as blessed as I was by these words.

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"Who is like you, O LORD, … Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”   You are, “God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.”   You declare to us, “There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 

Twice a day, devout Jews would confess “The Lord our God, the Lord is one”. The Lord is Unity.  So, Father we worship you today, our God who is Unity.  Unity in Trinity.  Three in person; One in Essence.  You are not a God divided into parts but you are One.  You are not one part God who is Holy and another part God who is Love.  

You are God who is entirely Love and entirely Holy, you are entirely Just and entirely Merciful, you are entirely Righteous and entirely Good, you are entirely Wisdom and entirely Truth. Eternally existing independent of all creation and yet everywhere present with your creation.  You cannot set aside one of your attributes for another, you are all your attributes always, so that your love, is a holy love, a just love, an eternal love.  Your justice is a holy justice, a loving justice, and wise justice.  We need to look no further than at the cross and see your unity on display.  On the cross we see your love and justice, your wrath and your mercy, your kindness and your wisdom, your goodness and holiness, and you never compromise one attribute for another.

Father, we praise you that because of the cross we are now one with you in Christ.  You have granted your children the privilege and the ability to reflect your unity in the Body of Christ … “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” “There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Father, because your Son Jesus died to make us one, I pray today that we will worship you with One Heart, with One Mind, in One Spirit for your Glory Alone.  Amen.