A Prayer for God to Heal a Broken Friendship
By Anne Dahlhauser
“If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.” - Psalm 55:12-14
Conflicts are fertile ground in which relationships can grow deeper.
Recently, I had the gift - yes, the gift - of a season of awkward dancing and miscommunicating with a friend. We needed to focus on completing a task together, but we came to the work table hunched over with the weights of baggage, insecurities, fears, and distrust. As we worked, sensitive nerves were pressed and tensions rose to the point of nearly abandoning the task completely. Nearly.
But neither of us took the exit ramp, praise God. We stayed in it and willed our feet to stay pointed toward the benefit of the doubt.
Friends, what if unconditional, Jesus-love - the kind that secures the insecure, that heals the distrust, that covers shame, bandages hurts, and lifts off years of baggage - what if that kind of love is birthed from conflict-induced pain, not despite it?
So, raise the white flag. Choose grace. Ignore the exit ramp, and stay standing on that fertile, hopeful ground of loving relationships in God’s family. No good works, embellished with stick figures and I-love-Jesus-hearts, can distract a heavenly Father from the reality of His children leaving conflict unresolved. For the sake of His kingdom come, and His will be done, let’s choose grace - uncomfortable, self-sacrificing, pride-swallowing, thorn-bearing Grace.
Let's pray:
Lord, today I come to you hurting. This wound from a friend is almost more than I can bear. I feel brokenhearted, and I want justice. Lord, I know that justice is not mine to give, so I come to you open-handed. Here is the friendship that has wounded me so much, Lord- take this hurt from me, help me feel your peace and your love toward me now.
I don’t want to extend grace. But I know you have been so gracious toward me- all my life, you have lavished grace on me as I’ve sinned against you. Help me be humble. Help me see my part to play. Help me give grace and love to my friend.
Soften my friend’s heart toward me now- let them return grace to me too.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Portions of this devotional were taken from Anne Dahlhauser’s article, Why Conflict is Sometimes the Best Thing for Friendships. You can read that article in full here. All rights reserved.
Photo credit: ©SalemDesign
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Originally published Tuesday, 06 September 2022.
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