“How delightfully good when brothers live together in harmony!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭133‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

David wrote this. He may have meant actual siblings or close friends or fellow believers. Or all 3. Probably that. All 3. Peace between people you love is delightful! And harmony is even better than peace. It is “delightfully good!” Harmony is more than a lack of conflict. It is active and purposeful and includes a kind of synergy. As an individual, I can do some nice things, maybe even accomplish quite a bit. But if I work in harmony with others, together we can have a much bigger impact! The sum is so much greater than its parts. Think of a symphony. The cello sounds nice and the French horn can be beautiful. Each instrument alone can bring a lot of joy and beauty. But put them all together, playing in harmony, and the result is a thrilling, soul-lifting miracle. “Delightfully good”, as today’s verse says, is even too tame. But the key is the harmony. If a bunch of great musicians are just in a room playing their own thing, no one is impressed. It sounds like noise. People listening would run away with their fingers plugging their ears. The church should be like a symphony playing in harmony with Jesus as the conductor. I can practice my music alone, by reading and studying my Bible and consulting with the conductor. I can make some pretty good noises this way. But God created us to work together. If I get together with other believers, and we are all practiced up, and we all focus on the conductor, oh what mighty beautiful and delightfully good things will come from that church!

Dear God,

Thank you for your design for your church. I’m sad it so rarely works as you intend. Show me where I am playing off-key. Attune my heart to you so that when I join with others as part of your church my efforts are not just noise but contribute to your beautiful symphony of love.