Ps 133:1-3 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron's beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing — life forever." NASU

Oh, how the Lord loves unity! It brings great pleasure to the Lord when His people learn to dwell together in unity. It brings Him great joy when we learn to work through our differences and find a place of relationship that is deeper than the points where we disagree with one another. Paul describes the lifestyle and heart condition of the believer that makes this possible in Phil 2:1-4 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” NIV

Unity is the foundational building block for the release of God’s blessing! When God finds brothers who will walk together in love He blesses that kingdom community. He likens the beauty of brothers who truly place honor on one another and walk in a lifestyle of connected relationship to the anointing oil coming down upon the high priest covering his head and his garments. He compares it to the dew that waters Mount Hermon, bringing life to the plants and animals that dwell there.

Psalm 133:1-3 is powerful for its simple declaration of the power of unity when it says “For there the LORD commanded the blessing — life forever.” God is looking for the right atmosphere to release His presence in. Just like a plant flourishes in the right environment, in the same way the Spirit of God flourishes in the environment of unity with humility! When God can find such a place, where people serve one another in love, there He commands that that group of people will receive blessing from the Lord. Peter addresses the reality that dishonor in a marriage relationship can hinder our prayers and I am sure that this same principle is true on the level of all committed relationships. The good news is that if division and dishonor hinders prayer then true unity, with a servant’s heart empowers effective prayer. Let us each one heed the call to love one another and walk in true forgiveness so that our own selfishness and agenda driven actions which James 4 tells us are at the center of most conflicts lose their power to damage the purpose of God amongst the people of God because we have chosen to set aside our own agendas for the higher calling of God’s eternal purposes in and through us.