"Ah, Lord! We are Animated by Anger and Anxiety, Fear and Fury..."

I hesitate to put this out there because of the combative environment we are in at present. But I think some souls will take courage from this, and some will also join with me as we get to the end of this little composition.

I am struck by the words of God in Zechariah 8. As he rehearses the waywardness and faithlessness of his people in the past, he clearly declares that he "set every man against his neighbor" (8:10). That got me thinking long ago. I started putting the pieces together and realized that one of God's acts of judgment is division, setting a man against his neighbor. That's what happened when he divided his people into the northern tribes and southern tribes (see 1 Kings 11:26-40). Because of Solomon's turning aside, allowing his wives to turn his heart away from the God of his father, David, the Lord brings about a rift in God's people. And this pattern of divisive judgment runs throughout Scripture.

On the other hand, truthful unity is the gift of God. Back in Zechariah 8, God promises to bring about a new day where there will be a "sowing of peace" (8:12) and he calls on his people to move in the direction of truthful unity, "These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD" (8:16-17). And he wraps up his direction with a very clear statement: "Therefore love truth and peace" (8:19).

I have thought about these two principles a long time. I even wrote a prayer with this in mind way back in 2019, "Prayer for Christ's Church - Drawn from Zechariah 7-8". The first principle is that division is God's judgment on nations, churches, denominations, etc. The second principle is that truthful unity is a gracious gift of God. It is specifically a gracious gift from God for the truthful unity of the church (Ephesians 4:1-3; John 17:17-23; etc.).

This reflection on these two principles, coupled with the two high arousal emotions I mention in my book, "Beyond Outrage" and the troubles I see blowing across our nation and into God's church - and especially blowing into the conservative, Bible-believing, faithful denominations of God's church, and the Christian virtue of sober-mindedness, brought me to write the following prayer last year. A prayer I have used for over 1 1/2 years. It goes like this:

Ah, Lord! We are animated by anger and anxiety, fear and fury. We seem to be in need of purpose, vibrant purpose. And anger, anxiety, fear and fury step in and offer to take up that purpose.

And then, we, your people, follow suit, misusing and misapplying Scripture to make our "cause" equal with your cause and feel free to break your law because our cause is "just and right" (so we think).

Lord, is this your act of judgment on us? To shatter us, to allow us to have our own way and fracture and break into pieces?

Oh, Lord, our God! Please don't! Make saner voices to prevail! Bring sober minds to become most persuasive and pervasive! You who have not given us the spirit of fear, but have given us the Spirit of power, love and sobermindedness (2 Timothy 1:7) - may your gift predominate. May we make use of and embrace with both arms and whole hearts your Spirit of power, love, and sobermindedness.

Oh, sweet Jesus, Lord Jesus, Messiah Jesus - help. And send us help. And bring us to accept your help. Amen.

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As a side support, this old hymn (712 in the Trinity Hymnal) resonates with my prayer above, and I've started using it daily:

1 O God of love, O King of peace, Make wars throughout the world to cease;

The wrath of sinful man restrain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.

2 Remember, Lord, your works of old, The wonders that your people told;

Remember not our sins' deep stain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.

3 Whom shall we trust but you, O Lord? Where rest but on your faithful word?

None ever called on you in vain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.

4 Where saints and angels dwell above All hearts are knit in holy love;

Oh, bind us in that heav'nly chain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.

Would you join me in this prayer?

Pastor Mike