Harmony

“Harmony.”

As I started to wake early this morning, that’s the word that I heard in my head. It repeated a few times. I believe that God was speaking to me but all I kept hearing was that one word.

“Harmony.”

I got out of bed with that word still resonating in my brain. What was God trying to tell me?

“Harmony.”

The word continued to stay with me as I got myself ready to start my day. I showered, got dressed, and sat down to read a couple of devotions. One of those devotions was from a devotional plan on praying for your wife. I read through the devotion, which talked about unity when planning goals with your spouse. And then, about three quarters of the way through, I saw it! Harmony is precious to Jesus! And then, a prayer that I would come together in harmony with my wife. God woke me up early this morning to talk to me about being in harmony with my wife.

God never ceases to amaze me! A family situation has recently become a point of disagreement for my wife and me. Not a disagreement that threatens to severely divide us, but one that needs resolution. And God was telling me that in order to have that resolution, we need to pray for Him to bring us into harmony. God has given me the prompt and now I need to follow it as I pray for harmony in this family situation. Another word for harmony is unity. God desires unity in marriage, a desire that is repeated in several Scriptures which say that a man must leave his mother and a woman must leave her home, and the two shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Mark 10:7; Ephesians 5:31). A husband and and wife must be one, united in heart and mind.

Scripture also makes it clear that unity is important among believers. In praying for future believers (that includes believers today!), Jesus prayed that we would all be one, just as He and the Father are one (John 17:20-21). Jesus knew that the unity of His believers would show those who do not yet believe that He was sent by God into this world, and that they would know that God loves them (John 17:23). Unity in the body of Christ is a reflection of His character. It shows that we are striving to be like Him. Philippians 2:2-3 tells us that, as believers, we must be of the same mind, maintain the same love, be united in spirit, and be intent on one purpose. That purpose is to reflect Jesus in the world. When we live in harmony with our spouses, in our families, and among our fellow believers, we can do just that!