One Heart - PeacemakersSample

DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY

“This is the account of Jacob's family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” Genesis 37:2-4 NIV

If ever there was a dysfunctional family, this was it. Joseph was his father's obvious favourite. His brothers were jealous and hated him. Joseph's arrogant dreams provoked them even further. He seemed ignorant of their threats and happily went looking for them. They saw their opportunity to take revenge. Their hatred was so strong that they contemplated killing him. If anyone had a right to feel bitter, angry, and betrayed, it was Joseph. He had been stripped, thrown into a pit, and left to die, then removed and sold into slavery—all by his very own brothers. Of all the relationships in the world, our familial ones should be the strongest; we are knit together through sharing the same home, experiences, memories, and parents. Joseph likely felt inconceivable hurt. Yet, in the midst of horrific betrayal and pain, the Lord was with Joseph. As our children’s read-aloud story, the Bible repeatedly says, “Was Joseph happy? No. But God was with Joseph.” The Lord caused Joseph to gain favour in the eyes of Pharaoh as he interpreted his dreams and predicted the seven-year famine. Eventually, the Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over all of Egypt. It was during the famine that Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt in search of food. Here was Joseph’s chance to get even: He could have made them grovel. He could have made them starve. He could have humiliated them in front of an entire nation. Yet Joseph did none of these things. Instead of punishing them for their evil deeds, Joseph extended grace upon grace. He didn’t want them to feel guilty for sending him to Egypt, but instead assured them it was God’s plan. “And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5). Three times, he mentions the phrase “God sent me.” Joseph is a sterling example of trusting the sovereignty of God in the face of trials. He didn’t allow bitterness or anger to consume him, so he was able to freely forgive his brothers. Not only did he want to free them from any feelings of condemnation, he went on to provide food and land for his entire family (v. 11). – theopenbible.org

There is inconceivable hurt in dysfunctional families. It is impossible to heal unless the Holy Spirit becomes part of the family. He is the one who can bring healing, fight bitterness, and give the grace to forgive and love again. There is a difference between seeking justice and living in bitterness. Is it possible to trust God with so much pain? Will His justice be enough? The only way to find out is to be in such a close personal relationship with Jesus that you feel safe and secure enough to trust Him with your pain.

If you can find the time, read 39-45 as well.

CORPORATE PRAYER (Idealy)

Father God, thank You for the privilege that we may call You our Father. Thank You for adopting us into your family through your Son, Jesus Christ, and through the adoption of the Holy Spirit. Since all families have their origins in You, we ask You for healing and restoration to the families in our nation. We acknowledge and confess that most of the pain that families experience is because of our own sinful ways. We confess that we have not lived according to Your standards in our marriages, in bringing up our children, and in caring for those who are fatherless. We have ignored Your command that husbands are to love and care for their wives as Jesus cares for the Church and that wives are to submit to and respect their husbands as the Church is to submit to Jesus. Through Your blood, we can be healed and reconciled with each other. Help us to honour our bodies and take responsibility for those You have entrusted to us in our relationships. Let our marriages once again be a reflection of Your relationship with the Church so that You will receive glory.

As children, we confess our disobedience to our parents and that we do not honour them as You have commanded us to do. As fathers and mothers we have not set examples for our children as to godly lifestyles. We have caused them to stumble and provoked them to anger, and we have not given You glory by telling them about You, so they became rebellious and unfaithful to You. We need Your cleansing and healing; please wash our families with Your Word. You are a Father of the fatherless and a Defender of widows. You see the trouble and grief we have caused ourselves because of our wicked ways. Please bring justice to us, save our children, and break the stronghold of oppression. Let our children again be an inheritance from the Lord and bring joy to our hearts. Lord Jesus, You invited the children to come to You and promised that the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Let this invitation reach the millions of children who are abandoned and lost without families. Be merciful to us so that we may declare Your power to the next generation so that all the children who are still to be born will hear of You and grow up to praise Your Name.

We call upon You, Father, to restore the Church again to the purpose You have created us for, to walk in love, and to be a fragrant offering and sacrifice to You. Thank You that through the Spirit of adoption, we can all cry: “Abba, Father!” Amen.

“‘Father’ is the Christian name for God. Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption.” J.I. Packer.

BACKGROUND

The intention of this Prayer Guide is to allow you to spend time with God and to interact with Him concerning the prayer Christ prayed in John 17, "Father make them one." It is written for Christians who accept the authority of the Word of God, who have the desire to see the Kingdom of God established in their nations, and who are willing to play their role in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

You are joining Week 5 of a 7-week series that has been created on different aspects of becoming one (maybe start at Week 1ONE HEART - FATHER LET THEM BE ONE). We are looking at first becoming one with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and secondly, one with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ, the Church. Thirdly, our role as peacemakers in the world around us. Daily prayer points focus first on our own individual lives (ME), then on the Church (US), and then on the world (THEM). Please read the devotion prayerfully, humbly, and with an open heart.

As you pray through the different topics, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into the truth concerning your own heart, to bring conviction and to enable you to ask for forgiveness or extend forgiveness as is necessary, and to empower you to reconcile and bring healing and restoration to others.