Pray. Hard.

Today is the 2018 National Day of Prayer. The theme this year is unity, taken from Ephesians 4:3: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

We should pray for the unity of our nation. It may be partly media hype, but our country appears to be more fragmented and divided than ever before. The left goes ever further left, the right keeps going right, and those in the middle are left wondering what just happened. Common ground is in short supply, and people prefer to talk past instead of talk to one another. We decry and vilify more than we love and compromise. Our nation needs our prayers.

Based on the theme verse for today, I would also say we need to pray for unity in the Church. Churches are splitting even faster than our country, determined as some leaders are to stay ahead of the social/cultural curve. More often than not, this leads to their congregations abandoning the word of God, compromising things which can never be changed. This leads to a false gospel and schism. It's hard to keep unity in the Spirit when you ignore that same Holy Spirit.

I say these things today, not to discourage you, but to encourage you to pray. On this National Day of Prayer, truly take time to pray. And pray hard. Be the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8). Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Pray not only for our nation and the Church, but also for everything and everyone God places on your heart. Remember the lost, the poor, the sick, the lonely, everyone who stands in need of your prayers. Pray for me. Pray for RSCC. But pray. Today, tomorrow, the next day, the day after that . . . Pray. Hard.