I recently finished the book, The Strength of the King, which I read like a devotional each morning for several weeks.  Day after day, it drew me into Scripture, reflection and prayer that centered on God’s great love for the lonely, vulnerable and destitute…and His call to the church to reflect that heart in action.  It is a simple, lucid volume that could be read in single sitting.  Ultimately, however, read with a spirit of prayer, it offers spiritual nourishment that draws the willing soul closer to the heart of its Maker.

The book was created by the team at the Orphan Justice Center from the International House of Prayer (IHOP).  I’ll confess I didn’t know what to expect when I was first invited to read it.  The branch of Christianity I come from tends to be a bit, shall we say “less expressive,” than IHOP.  But just as I felt after the remarkable “LIVE from Kansas City” Orphan Sunday event at IHOP back in November, the book left me feeling deeply grateful for the diversity of the Body of Christ—and also a rich kinship with these Jesus-saturated brothers and sisters.

I know if they and I talked long enough, we’d find items of disagreement in theology or emphasis.  And some of these differing views we may hold to our dying day.  But what a beautiful thing to join in fellowship around a shared passion for Jesus Christ and for the orphan in distress.  It’s perhaps a little taste of what Jesus begged his Father for in praying for the unity of his followers.  And, dare I say it, I suspect that the celebration in heaven will probably look more like a service at IHOP than Sundays at the beloved Presbyterian church I grew up in…