…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:17-21
God alone is truly trustworthy. While there are some we know who we trust deeply, God is alone in eternal trustworthiness. He will never forsake or leave us, increasing our ability to trust him. (Deuteronomy 31:6). We all know how long ‘never’ really is, or at least we think we do, and God is the only one who can deliver on that word. When we consider words like ‘always’ and ‘never’, only God knows the true breadth of these words. But, how does a spirit of love and unity relate to any sense of trust?
I was humbled and blessed to be a part of the 11-person team working through 216r applicants to select the next Lead Pastor of South Fellowship. There’s no way under God’s blue sky or on God’s green earth this could have been accomplished without copious amounts of God-based trust and hours upon hours of prayer. I can say without hesitation these prayers ran into days and weeks of time when one considers all 11 of us praying. Add to that those who prayed in the body at South, and the scope of knee-time spent increases exponentially. It seems to me trust and prayer go hand in hand.
We are still beset by the influence of Covid-19, and now have the violence of the riots, eclipsing the voice of the peaceful protests, adding to the already stress-filled environment. Feelings of helplessness abound, driven by a sense of not being able to really do anything. We’ve slid down to the end of our rope, tied a knot, and now swing in the wind. But, all along, the Holy Spirit’s been whispering to us, ‘Trust in me, I’m here.’ But, once again, the question arises ‘How does all this relate to love and unity’?
Several weeks ago, I wrote about praying for our leadership (“Citizens with Weapons of Love,” Friday, May 27, 2020), and I hope that’s part of our prayers. Hopefully, we’re praying for each other, neighbors, friends, and family, and surrendering them, trusting in God. Our sense of unity comes when we realize and comprehend the vast quantity of prayers reaching Heaven. If you’re praying, hallelujah, and intensify them! If you believe your prayers aren’t heard, don’t stop! And, if you’re not praying, I would challenge you to begin. Our shared prayers reaching God will have an effect (Luke 18:1-8)!
By Rich Obrecht
