“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
The Body
This psalm opens with an exclamation, behold, how good and how pleasant, genuine delight expressed over something that might otherwise be taken for granted or assumed automatic. Unity among believers is named here not merely as a duty to be endured, but as something genuinely good and pleasant, worth actual delight when it is actually present.
This is worth noticing because unity can easily be framed only in terms of its absence, conflict to be resolved, division to be repaired, rather than in terms of its own genuine, positive delight when it is actually, currently present and functioning well. This psalm insists on naming the delight directly, not merely the problem when it is missing.
This should shape how you approach whatever unity currently exists in your own community, not taking it for granted as simply the unremarkable absence of conflict, but actually noticing and delighting in it, the way this psalm’s opening exclamation models, genuine appreciation for something genuinely good.
Notice today one specific place where unity is actually, currently present in your own community, and let yourself genuinely delight in it, the way this psalm does, rather than only noticing unity’s absence when conflict arises. Behold, how good, and how pleasant, this actually is.
Strengthen the Body
- Notice one specific place where genuine unity is currently present in your community.
- Let yourself actually delight in it today, not merely take it for granted.
- Thank God specifically for this unity, naming it as genuinely good and pleasant.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the genuine unity present in my community. Let me delight in it, the way this psalm does, not merely notice its absence when conflict arises. Amen.
Carry this today
Unity is not merely duty. It is genuinely good and pleasant, worth delight.