All things are possible with God scripture says. But do you believe it? Estrangement causes you to doubt that promise because you see no hope. Every effort you make seems fruitless. Day after day wears on with no resolution.
Hope is something everyone desires, and it often seems elusive. Consequently, you lower your expectations and give it up. Doing so seems easier than the constant disappointment you experience.
I understand that cycle and today’s message is intended to encourage you to reclaim God’s promise that he can in fact do all things no matter how impossible it may seem to you. Let’s jump in with both feet!
Do You Believe All Things are Possible with God?
Primarily, we need to establish God’s trustworthiness. You’ll never believe all things are possible if you don’t have trust and faith in him. Hoping for something and trusting God’s promises are two different things.
When you have a relationship with Jesus, you will no doubt experience challenging times and one of those is estranged relationships. And if it was with a father, it can be extremely difficult to trust in a loving heavenly father.
Let’s revisit this issue of God’s trustworthy nature by looking at a few scriptures.
- Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
- Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”
- Psalm 36:5 “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”
Do your own google search for scripture on God’s faithfulness and you’ll find many verses to verify his trustworthiness.
Believing in his ability to deliver on his promises is the first step.
Remember His Past Faithfulness
Helpful is to spend some time reflecting on God’s faithfulness to you in the past. Where have you trusted him for something and how did he deliver?
One area that stands out for me was the time when most of my family was estranged from me. It seemed that everyone I loved and cared for had left me. Except God. His promise that he would never leave nor forsake me stood out. I felt his presence and saw evidence of his involvement in my life during that time.
Remembering God’s faithfulness to you in past time builds a foundation so that you trust him increasingly. Keep a journal and record times when you’ve prayed a promise he’s given in scripture and again when he answers. Sometimes it is right away and other times it may be years before you see an answer.
God says his ways and thoughts are higher than ours. We can’t think in the same realm that he does and so we simply trust him more each time he answers our prayers.
Trust Your Estranged Ones to Him
God gave us his best. His one and only son Jesus was sent to earth to be the sacrifice for our sins. He experienced temptations, lies and accusations. Moreover, he was mocked, ridiculed, and humiliated. He knew why he was here and chose obedience to his father because he knew that it would result in salvation to all who believed in him.
If God can entrust his one and only son to this earth for us, it seems logical that we can entrust our loved ones – estranged or not – to him.
You can’t control anyone except yourself. When estrangement of loved ones occurs, a deep emotional pain emerges. Chasm widens and you feel reconciliation is impossible. Years may elapse before any conversation ensues and it’s easy to give up hope.
Furthermore, you keep the pain alive by remembering every hurtful word or action. You long to be avenged for false accusations. Reaching out only reinforces the deep freeze in the relationship.
You’ve got to entrust them to the one who says that all things are possible with God. Ask him to work in their heart and yours. Pray for their spiritual growth or that they would allow God into their life. Don’t give up hope. He hears your prayers.
Focus on Building Your Faith
One of my greatest joys is keeping a journal. I write something every day. Usually, I begin with what’s on my mind. The issue that keeps me awake at night. And I pray that God will open my mind and heart to what he wants to say to me in my devotional reading.
Repeatedly, a scripture becomes known that speaks to that very thing. I may not be able to take any action, but I know that all things are possible with God because I know he has heard me. And in some way gives me hope that he knows and cares.
With that in mind, my faith grows because I see his involvement in my life. And when I read journals from months or years ago, I see his faithfulness much more clearly than I could at the time.
If you’ve been reluctant to trust God with your estranged relationships, this may be the time to start anew. Begin with establishing trust by reading scripture about his faithfulness and recalling past answers to prayer.
Find a scripture that you want him to answer for you and write it in your journal. Begin to pray that scripture to God. For example, Jesus your word says you will never leave nor forsake us. I pray that you will always be with (enter estranged person’s name) and cause them to sense your presence.
Continue to pray until you see movement or an answer. Don’t give up. All things are possible through God who loves you and me immeasurably.
Until next time, remember God is trustworthy and can do all things.