"Restoring Strained or Broken Relationship"

Restoring Strained or Broken Relationships (3)

Sunday, April 12, 2009 — chanmunwai 

 

1.         Restoration starts with God

 

By now, some of you are getting impatient.  You are probably wondering “what can I do about my relationship?”  If that describes you, then you are still not ready.  Restoring strained and broken relationships does not start with tackling your problem.  It starts with getting close to God.  The focus is not on your troubled relationship.  Instead, the focus is on getting close to God.  It is not you who will solve the problem.  It is God who will help you solve the problem.

 

2.         God makes something out of nothing

 

The Bible says: Romans 4:17 – “God gives life to the dead and calls those things that do not exist as though they did.” This verse was referring to God’s encounter with Abraham.  God told Abraham that he would be a father of many nations.  However, when God met him, Abraham had been childless for many years. The truth we can learn from the incident is that God can make something out of nothing.

 

Abraham did not have a son when God spoke to him.  His body was way past his fertility.  But God gives life to the dead and He calls things that do not exist (i.e. Abraham’s son) as though they do.  In God’s eyes, Abraham was already a father even though physically, he was not.

 

3.         God brings dead relationships to life

 

God too can bring dead relationships to life.  A good relationship between you and your spouse or child may now not exist, but God promises that if you believe in Him, He can call up relationships that do not exist as though they do.  You can trust God to restore your strained and broken relationships because He can make something out of nothing.

 

In Genesis 1, we read that the earth was formless and empty, i.e. there was nothing.  Yet when God spoke “Let there be light” and there was light.  In the same way, He spoke everything into existence when previously they were not existent eg. sky, vegetation, sun, moon, etc.  God also can speak into your empty relationship and make it full again.

 

4.         Have faith in God

 

Like Abraham, you need to have faith in God who will restore your relationships.  Without faith, God will not work.  God doesn’t work according to needs.  He works according to faith.  To have faith in God means that you are sure of what you hope for, you are certain of what you cannot see (Hebrews 11:1).  Tell God that you will have faith in Him to restore your relationships.  Thank Him for helping you. When you speak in faith, you are following God’s example of calling into existence the things that don’t exist.

 

5.         Reflection

 

For the next 3 days, pray to God daily and He will listen to you.  He loves to hear your prayers.  In fact, He stores up your prayers because He loves what you say.  Tell Him daily about the strains and breaks in your relationships.  Ask Him to bring about fullness when your relationship is empty.  Believe that He will restore your relationships.  Just rest in His promise that He can call those things that don’t exist as though they do (Romans 4:17).

 

 

Meanwhile, spend time worshipping Him in songs of praise, read your Bible, meditate on His truths and just enjoy talking to God about everything in your life.  Don’t be afraid of losing your relationships.  Why?  Because you won’t lose them when God is helping you.  

How to deal with your fear?  The Bible says that the antidote for fear is love.  “Where God’s love is, there is no fear because God’s perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18).  Just accept God’s love for you.