Resurrecting Dead Relationships
A young couple headed for divorce because of adultery came into my office one day. They picked the perfect week … the week before Easter.
To learn why this week has always been my favorite time to start divorce mediations … and to discover a power that can restore your broken relationships, watch this short video clip.
Resurrecting Dead Relationships from Ken Sande on Vimeo.
Here is the passage that God used to turn this couple away from divorce and move them in the direction of a resurrected marriage:
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms (Eph. 1:16-20, NIV)
This is not a guarantee that every broken relationship will be resurrected, because we can’t control what others do. But this prayer does give us motivation to make every effort on our part to pursue peace and reconciliation with others (Rom. 12:18).
May God bless your efforts to display his resurrecting power in all of your relationships!
– Ken Sande
Reflection Questions
- Is there a relationship in your life that seems broken beyond repair? How does Ephesians 1:16-18 give you hope that God could work through you to bring it back to life?
- What steps have you already taken to be reconciled with this person? Are there any peacemaking principles that you did not fully and humbly apply? If not, would now be a time to give it another try?
- Who could you talk to for wise and biblically sound advice on whether it would be appropriate to pursue reconciliation with this person?
- Do you know someone who seems to have given up on restoring a broken relationship? If so, please feel free to pass this post on to them, along with your prayers and personal encouragement.
Permission to distribute: Please feel free to download, print, or electronically share this message in its entirety for non-commercial purposes with as many people as you like.
© 2015 Ken Sande
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2 Responses to "Resurrecting Dead Relationships"
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Mr. Sande,
Lord bless you for posting this powerful video on God’s mighty work in restoring broken marriages. Unfortunately, I was unfaithful to my husband, throughout the course of our very very quick dating and almost 5 years of marriage. I didn’t know I was a very broken, hurting, angry woman, mom arise from suffering deep traumatic emotional pain during childhood. I was a product of an alcoholic abusive Father and a mother that never learned to set healthy boundaries for herself and her relationships. It’s been 5.5 years since my dear husband walked out of my life, our 2 year old daughter and his 2 step daughter’s. 1 year after he left; he filed the divorce, which finalized 2 years ago. I have shared the good news to him, that I found Jesus! I have begged him in many ways to forgive me and return back to our family. (Written letters/verbally) and nothing! His typical response is to ignore all my efforts and attempts. He’s also decided to not coparent with me regardless of what our shared custody orders indicate. In true honesty, sometimes, I do feel there’s no hope for our dead relationship.
I’m sorry to hear of the great pain you’ve experienced, Norma, especially as you see the impact on your daughters. That must be very hard. And yet in the midst of that pain, you can know that all of your sins have been paid for and washed away by the blood of Christ. He has paid your debt in full … just as he’s paid my debt in full. Even though the eternal consequences of our sins are paid for by him, we must often continue to live with some of of the worldly consequences, just as King David did. I pray the Lord will eventually soften your husband’s heart. But even if he doesn’t, you can be sure that God’s love for you and your daughters is lavish and unceasing, and he will continue to watch over you as he continues to his sanctifying work in your lives. If you’d like to go through our online training as a way to continuing growing, I’d be happy to provide a full scholarship. Just email me at mail@rw360.org.