One way we grow closer to others is to pray for them. By lifting up another person in prayer, it becomes much more difficult to hate or embrace divisions. Beyond defining prayer, the simple act of uttering someone’s name before God connects the one praying and the one named in prayer. Regardless of what happens in prayer, speaking to God about someone who sees the world in a different way can break down barriers.
Through prayers, does the other person experience broken barriers too? Maybe. Maybe not. You cannot control other people or the experiences they have when you pray. People can only control their own actions. Starting with the quest for unity and recognizing the role faith plays in this journey is part of the process of overcoming divisions. “Faith is a fine invention” that can undermine polarization.
From “Crossing the Lines We Draw: Faithful Responses to a Polarized America” by Matthew Tennant – Judson Press