A Bridge of Scar

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” – Luke 6:32.

There is a great divide – a separation, a chasm, a gaping wound that lies between “us” and “them.”  We feel justified in our anger and hatred.  We see things being embraced by others that we hold as abhorrent and our loathing for the sin becomes loathing for the sinner.  We feel justified in character assassination and violence. We crush and destroy with cruel and punishing words, forgetting that like us they were created in the image of God.

Heavenly Father, we come before You as a broken people.  We bring our relationships – both those with individuals and those between cultures of divergent positions. Father, open up our eyes that that we might see them through divine eyes.  Replace shouts of anger with hearts of compassion that echo out Your love to the world.

Father, begin with us.  We humble ourselves before You.  We rend our hearts and not our garments (Joel 2:13).  We repent of our callousness, hubris and arrogance, when Your intent is that we would walk in grace and humility.  We turn our backs to greed, slothfulness and selfishness ambition. Forgive us for our hatred disguised as holiness and for attaching the title of “enemy” to human faces, because we have forgotten that we struggling not against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities and against rulers of the darkness of this age and spiritual hosts of wickedness (Eph 6:12).  

Father, do a strong work within us according to 2 Chronicles 7:14 that says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Holy Spirit come and wash over our hearts and minds. Father, we are so fearful of pain, but we nervously ask You to debride these agonizing wounds.  Flush out the infections we have allowed to fester. Excise the dead flesh of sin and self righteousness and infuse us with the blood of Jesus. Bind up our wounds.  Take Your needle and thread and draw together opposing sides. Unite us to be as one.  Knit us together with mutual forgiveness and bring healing through the mind of Christ.  Visit us with a spirit of repentance and return us to sanity and right standing with You.

We ask for revival in our land, Lord. We contend for resurrection of the good that we have sadly left for dead.  And may the relational scar that remains serve as a bridge and testimony of Your power and authority to do a miraculous works in seemingly impossible situations, when our brokenness leads us to repent before You. In Jesus Name ❤️

Dear friend, our true enemy stops our progress by convincing us that other people are our enemy, instead of him.  In this way he is free to go his way, unscathed, while we brutally attack one another. Why not forgive those who have wounded you so together you might join forces to fight the real enemy who is bent on your destruction?  💡

If you have been encouraged or challenged, please repost and further His kingdom!