Ours is a world made by God and declared good, yet fractured, torn, and in need of prayer. No Sunday morning, no opportunity for common worship should pass by without lifting up the needs of those known and unknown to us, whether it is an international conflict, a national need, or community turmoil. Occasions like the Day of Prayer for Those Persecuted and Martyred for Their Faith (January 5) or the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity beginning January 18, call us not only to pray, but to pray together.

The sad irony is that divisions between individuals and within communities often stunt or even threaten that call to prayer. The words that allow us to be in communion can also press hot-button issues, and even the way one person addresses God can set another on edge. Is it possible for us to pray together amidst divisive issues? The 214th General Assembly (2002) believes so, urging prayer “on behalf of, and with those with whom we disagree.” Unity in prayer is not only possible, it is assured in answer to Jesus’ prayer that we might be one as he and God are one (John 17:11). The only question is, how?

One resource readily at hand in most churches is the Book of Common Worship and its companion volume, Daily Prayer. In the order of service for morning and evening worship, a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession is provided for each day of the week. The prayers have been carefully and attentively crafted to cover different places, situations, people, and faith communities. The times of silence afforded between petitions permit an individual’s particular perspective, but the shared words allow for common prayer. For meetings that are always scheduled for the same day, a moderator might choose to vary the day or hour selected from the book, so that a Tuesday evening meeting might include the prayer from Friday morning. In like fashion, a singular event such as the National Day of Prayer might include appropriate petitions from any number of days and times.

A related method of prayer is what is called the Richmond Hill model, named after the ecumenical faith community in Richmond, Virginia (see www.richmondhillva.org). This Christian fellowship has a special emphasis on prayer, reconciliation, and justice. A central element to daily life for those connected to Richmond Hill is the commitment to pray three times a day (often using Daily Prayer), with particular attention placed on local and statewide concerns. Seven days a week a full complement of petitions is provided on a panel only two inches wide and eleven inches long folded in half, making it easily accessible. The words have been chosen judiciously, issues between even polarized parties stated in such a way that common prayer isn’t stymied. Imagine the statement it would make if all the religious communities in a particular city or neighborhood covenanted to make such a resource available to all its congregants, and encouraged its use, despite differences in theology, ways of being, and attitudes toward certain issues! And how might that spill over into occasions of shared prayer and common service?

A final suggestion is quite simple but requires a different dimension of trust. The previous suggestions ask that people be trusted to speak; this requires trusting that God listens. In this case, a worship leader opens with a short prayer committing all present to raising their petitions to God, asking that each heart be opened to divine guidance. Then for fifteen to twenty minutes, there is nothing but silence—no telling others one’s thought under the guise of praying to God, no agenda-setting masquerading as petition. Only a place where God is trusted to sort out the wheat from the chaff of our desires, best hopes, and self-interests, a place where trust between those who agree and disagree means that the silence is enough, capable not only of reaching God, but of changing us, both individually and corporately.

In a church, a community, and a world where so many are divided over so many things, it is vital not only that we pray for others who don’t see things the way we do, but that we pray with them. Such prayer is reminiscent of Jesus’ twofold interpretation of the Great Commandment: the first, that in prayer we show our love for God, and the second, in prayer we embody our loved neighbor. As Jesus says to the one, so may the many hear: do this, and you will live (Luke 10:25-28).

Contact the author, Steve Shussett, Associate for Spiritual Formation, at (888) 728-7228, ext. 5157, or send e-mail to sshusset@ctr.pcusa.org.