A Song for When… You Want Peace and Unity
A big picture look at the world today doesn’t necessarily radiate immediate vibes of peace, unity and togetherness. We see and experience divisiveness in families, workplaces, culture, church denominations, comment sections on social media, physical warzones, and of course, political arenas. And the list goes on. It can be exhausting, can’t it?
Although God made each person unique and surely wants us to celebrate our differences, He made it clear in John 17 that He also wants us to pursue and live in unity—in the midst of our individual personalities and preferences. In this amazing chapter of Scripture, Jesus was with His disciples. He had washed their feet and shared a special meal with them back in John 13, and then was taking the time to give them words of comfort, instruction and encouragement. His knew His arrest and crucifixion were looming, which makes His words in the entirety of John 13-17 feel so much more weighty. But specifically in John 17, He is praying (aloud for His disciples to hear) for Himself, for His disciples and for all believers. Sooo that includes us even today!
Several times, He prayed to God the Father for unity.
- I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. -John 17:11
- My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. -John 17:20-21a
- I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. -John 17:22-23
Did you catch that? Jesus said our unity should be a sign of His love to the world. Not our uniformity, so don’t even worry about that. But our unity! It’s a witness to a watching world. Tiffany Hudson’s song, “Togetherness,” puts this beautiful sentiment to music. First, the song acknowledges the problem, which we’re all too familiar with.
We don’t always see eye to eye … And I’ve been asking for quite some time … Why does that cause such a big divide … Why oh why
All accusations … But no conversations, oh … Way too busy … Burning down bridges … Forgot how to build ‘em oh … Lord bring us back to this
But the next lyrics sing out a beautiful prayer for God’s blessing on our quest for togetherness.
You bless, You bless our togetherness … Pour out Your Spirit upon all flesh … We’ve come, we’ve come for nothing less … You bless, You bless our togetherness
My favorite part of the song, though, comes at the end. It’s essentially a musical rendition of these verses from Ephesians:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. -Ephesians 4:3-5, emphasis added
We are called to make every effort—not just minimal effort, but every effort—to be unified in the Spirit. This is God’s desire for us! This part of the song is most powerful when listened to in context, so make sure to check it out:
One heart … One people … One hope … One gospel
One mind … One body … One church … Crying Holy
One faith … One baptism … One truth … One commission
One Lord … One Spirit … One God … We will worship
Your thoughts, words and actions should promote peace and unity in the name of Jesus, always. Do they? Even in the midst of denominational differences and opinions, we must focus on what unites us, and that is Jesus and His holy Word. A life of “togetherness,” as the song calls it, is what God can lead us to if we let Him. Let’s join in Jesus’ prayer for unity amongst believers. Perhaps this song can help your heart to yearn and pray for the unity that Jesus Himself prayed for on our behalf.