Healing Family Relationships Through PrayerSample

This is one of the most difficult and most important aspects of prayer, especially as it relates to broken family relationships. Why doesn't God just fix this (or them)? For some of us, we have been praying for years for healing and reconciliation. Maybe we are just talking to the wall, God is not listening, or worse, maybe He doesn't even care?

Jesus gives us three commands in Luke 11:9: Ask. Seek. Knock. These are all present-tense commands, which means Jesus wants us to ask, and keep on asking. Seek, and keep on seeking. Knock, and keep on knocking. When it comes to healing broken family relationships, endurance in prayer is essential.

Jesus told a parable in Luke 18 to encourage us to pray with persistence and endurance. The story was about a widow who continued to plead her case to an uncaring and prideful judge. He continually refused her pleas for justice, yet she kept coming to him with her request. Finally, the judge granted her the ruling she was seeking because he was fed up with her incessant pestering.

Jesus then said, "Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily."

The point of this parable is to show that if a corrupt judge responds to persistent requests, how much more will our good and loving Father in Heaven respond?

You are not bothering God with your continual prayers. Let us pray and not lose heart.

Reflection Question: What broken family relationship have you stopped praying about because it seemed nothing was changing? What is required for you to start praying again?