One of the earliest hymns I remember singing in church as a little girl was “Bind Us Together.”
Typical churches (including mine) usually sung just the first stanza on repeat a few times before times of prayer or other congregational meetings.
Bind us together. Lord, bind us together with bonds (cords) that can not be broken. Bind us together. Lord, bind us together. Bind us together in love.
The last line in the stanza above is a whole message in itself – “Bind us together in love…”
My recent reflection of this particular hymn brought to mind various relational images of “binding” or unification (Psalm 133, Genesis 2:24, John 17).
WORK
MARRIAGE
FRIENDSHIP
CHURCH
“Bind us together in love…”
The plea/request is not only for God to connect, partner, and make people as one body just for the sake of appearance, but to do so in love.
Bind us together in love… Bind us together instrifeBind us together inangerBind us together inprideBind us together inassumptionsBind us together ingossipBind us together innon-communicationBind us together inunfaithfulnessBind us together inlack of supportBind us together inprejudiceBind us together in love…
Work relationships, marriages, friendships, and church circles will all be tested. Love will sometimes seem like a far fetched reality in the midst of conflict, differing opinions, prejudice, prolonged separation, temptation, etc.
And now is the time to declare songs like Bind Us Together over these environments like the love in our relationships depends on us doing so. Because it does.
God wants to hear from us…
Our prayers, our songs, our decrees in scripture (Psalm 133, Genesis 2:24, John 17) are important as we seek out the intent of God to not act selfishly but to align ourselves with what is truly powerful – love.
What social circle could benefit from our fervent and ongoing prayers and decrees?
Will we be tempted to lose focus?
Will we ignore this important call when things seem to be getting worse and not better?
Will we leave the praying to the “other folks”?
Will we yield to the temptation to personally operate in fleshly conduct (discord, gossip, assumptions, unfaithfulness, etc.)?
**Or will we continue to pray, sing, and decree:
Lord, bind us together in love…
Read more about the history of the hymn, Bind Us Together – CLICK HERE.
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Keturah A. Ford 
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