'The Unity Hack'

chambers created the kind of unity that destroys unity. How can people be brought back together?

There is a unity hack, a quick fix the scriptural way. Praise is the pathway to unity. God calls ALL people to be unified in praise. Again and again, the Psalmist reminds us to come together in praise.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Ps 100:4)

Our praise is communal, as much or more than individual. Praise is a public declaration that God is the author of creation and all good things in our lives.

“Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Ps 100:5)

The church is at its best while singing praises to God. This bypasses our individual biases, limited perspectives, and self-serving judgements. Our cultural preferences, different backgrounds and geography become secondary to the primacy of God. A focus on God lifts us out of our individual stories and connects us to God’s great story of salvation as a people. Our eyes get off ourselves and onto God.

Praise is God’s unity hack. ‘Us against them’ melts away when it becomes ‘Us for Him.’ The church has the potential to bring all sides together, not papering over the issues. When we humble ourselves before God, we begin to humble ourselves toward each other. Worshipping shoulder to shoulder changes our hearts toward the people next to us. We realize we are on the same side. We are one.

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His.” (Ps 100:3)

Disunity may slip back in when we walk out of worship. Personal daily praise becomes critical to maintain God’s unity in the midst of tribal fighting. Personal time of praise is our daily unity hack. It is the antidote to chaos at work and at home.

Psalm 100 is a fantastic example of what I am talking about. I memorized it many years ago. Every time I recite it, I am filled with charity toward those around me. I encourage you to do the same. Try God’s unity hack and become God’s change in the world.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Yours in Christ,

Jonathan