Voice: Li Huan
Today is Tuesday, 14th of July. Let us gather our scattered thoughts and be still in His presence.
We pray this collect:
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night
and turns the shadow of death into the morning:
Drive far from us all wrong desires,
incline our hearts to keep your law,
and guide our feet into the way of peace;
that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day,
we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
We read Psalms 133
1Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
The shortest psalm in the Psalter celebrates one of life’s greatest gifts: unity.
It does not spell out the benefits of unity. It does not present a list of reasons why we should remain united. Instead, the psalmist simply beholds it with delight and exclaims:
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”
David simply beholds unity and delights in it. It is beautiful. And if that is true, the converse is equally true: few things are as distressing as the sight of God’s people divided.
To describe this unity, David uses two vivid pictures.
The first is the precious oil poured upon Aaron’s head at his ordination. It ran down his beard and onto the collar of his robes. This was no ordinary oil. It was the holy anointing oil, signifying God’s presence and blessing. Unity, therefore, is not something manufactured by human effort alone. It is a gift that flows from God Himself.
The second picture is the dew of Mount Hermon falling upon the mountains of Zion. In the dry climate of Israel, dew meant life. It refreshed the land, nourished vegetation and sustained fruitfulness. In the same way, unity refreshes the people of God. Where there is harmony, there is renewed joy, strength and spiritual vitality.
These images also remind us that unity flows downward. The oil flowed from Aaron’s head. The dew descended from above. Unity is not something we seize or engineer. It is received from God as His people humble themselves before Him.
The Apostle Paul echoes this truth when he urges believers to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Notice that Paul does not ask us to create unity. The unity already exists because it is the Spirit’s gift. Our responsibility is to guard it, cherish it and preserve it.
Of course, unity is not the same as uniformity. The Church is made up of people with different personalities, backgrounds, cultures and opinions. Neither does unity require us to agree on every matter. Rather, biblical unity grows as we gather around one Lord, one gospel and one shared desire to glorify Christ.
When such unity is present, the Church becomes what Psalm 133 describes—good, pleasant, anointed, refreshing and full of life. For it is there that “the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”
Will you pray that your church, your cell group and your family will continually display this precious gift of oneness in Christ? In a divided world, such unity is a powerful witness to the gospel and one of God’s greatest blessings to His people.
We close with this prayer for unity:
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace:
Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions;
take away all hatred and prejudice,
and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord;
that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all,
so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Be blessed by this rendition of The Church’s One Foundation, sung by a team from Christ Church, Bellingham.
1. The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation,
By water and the word;
From Heav’n he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.
2. Elect from ev’ry nation,
Yet one o’er all the Earth,
Her charter of salvation
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With ev’ry grace endued.
3. ‘Mid toil and tribulation
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forever more;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
4. Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
In love may dwell with Thee.
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at terrywong@anglican.org.sg
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