God's blessing

This is one of my favorite photographs from one of our visits to Swan Lake in Sumter SC, and I thought of it immediately when I read my devotional passage today from Psalm 133.

Psalm 133:1, 3b How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! … For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

I never quite saw this thought pattern in this psalm before as I did today – the first verse and the last combined in this recognition of the blessing of the Lord as a direct result of God’s people living in unity.  The other verses of the psalm describe that blessing, but the fact of His blessing being the result of living in unity with other believers is a powerful yet challenging thought.  If we truly get a grasp on this reality, it could make a big difference in how we view our differences with other believers, that His blessing comes on us if we are in unity.  The implication, of course, is that if I am not in unity with my fellow believers, I will miss out on the full blessing of God on my life.  I pray that this insight will remind me to be more tolerant and less critical when differences or disagreements come along.