“Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jehozadak, arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem and the prophets of God were with them supporting them.”
– Ezra 5:2
I love this picture in Ezra chapter five as the people of God are united together in the work of God. Zerubbabel and Jeshua leading out in this rebuilding and the prophets with them, supporting them, you see this picture of God’s people working together on God’s work according to God’s word like, “This is God’s design for us.” And I think about each of us in our local churches, God has designed us to be a people united together, joyfully working according to his word for his glory. This is the picture not just in our local churches, but in the broader church for us as followers of Jesus to be united together in the work God has given us to do, to make disciples of all the nations, to lead people to life in Jesus.
God has designed us to be a people united together, joyfully working according to his word for his glory.
And yet sadly so often, whether it’s in our local churches or in the broader church, the broader body of Christ, there’s not this picture of united together in the work of God. Instead, there’s pictures of division or dissension, and this is not what God has designed for us. Jesus prayed for us before he went to the cross. It’s the one thing he prayed for us that we might be one as he and the father are one, that we would experience a Trinitarian godly unity together in a task that is so great and so critical and so important. There are so many people around us who need the love of God in Jesus, who need to hear and believe the Gospel. And people around the world, there are three plus billion people in the world who have little to no access to the Gospel. So let’s pray, God help us to unite together as your people around your work according to your word. God, we pray for our local churches and for us in the broader church for a unity of spirit in the bond of peace.
God, we pray you would help us to fix our eyes together on you to see you in all of your holiness, in all of your glory, in all of your beauty, to all humble ourselves before you and then to rise and to do all that you’ve called us to do together to make disciples of all the nations as your church. God, please may it be so. We pray for unity on mission, for unity in a way that resounds to your glory, for what you pray for us, Jesus, to be a reality among us. We pray that over each of our churches. We pray that over all of our churches together and our partnership together in the Gospel in the Great Commission. God, we pray that this picture of unity and support and joyful working together in Ezra chapter five would be a reality in our churches and as your church today. We pray this in Jesus’ name according to your word in Ezra 5:2. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
