Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Together in the work of God, Zarebabel and Joshua 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.

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.

Like 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, 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 or one that we would experience a trainitarian, 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, to 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 unity of spirit and the bond of peace, God, we pray.

You'd help us to fix our eyes together on you, to see you in all of your holiness and all of your glory and all of your beauty, to all humble ourselves before you, and then to rise and to do all that you call us to do together, to make disciples of all the nations as your church, God, please may it be so.

So we pray for unity on mission, for unity in a way that resounds to your glory, for what you prayed for us in Jesus to be a reality among us.

We pray that over each of our churches, we pray that over all of our churches together in our partnership together in the gospel and the great commission.

We pray that this picture of unity and support, joyful working together in Ezra 5, 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 to amen.