Recently on one of our evangelistic trips, our host asked us to visit Yousif and Nasreen. We were briefed that this couple have been married for thirty-five years. They have grown up children and grandchildren. Yousif goes from village to village to repair old shoes. As a family they were going through very serious crises. Their relationships were on such a brink of disaster that sometimes the husband left the family to live outside.
Then a time came when Yousif was inclined to commit suicide. The people and the chief of the village came and spoke to Yousif with their own family restore meetings. They advised him that he should not take such step because no religion allows such type of death. God is not happy with such action and this would be very shameful for the family; it would create a legal and police problem for the family.
When our host first took us to this family restore meeting, Yousif did not want to sit with us. Then one Christian Brother asked him, “This servant of God has come to your home from a faraway place and you do not want to meet him?” Then Yousif joined the group and after few minutes his wife also. We explained that we did not know anything about their situation. We did not know how or where to start.
We sat there for some time and just talked about Yousif’s work, their children and grandchildren. Then the couple relaxed a bit and became friendly with us.
After that we suggested prayer for their family and with their permission we prayed. Then I shared the word of God about the origin of the family, the fall of the family, the responsibilities of the husband and wife. In between I asked them if they had any questions. Gradually the situation began to get heated; they started blaming each other and we had to calm them down. Then I continued sharing the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit worked in their lives. Things were resolved; relationships were restored. It was the practical manifestation that the living and powerful Word of God restores broken families. We prayed together and thanked God how miraculously He restored Yousif and Nasreen as a couple. We thanked God that He solved their problems. All their relatives were very delighted to learn that the reconciliation had taken place in the family.
While returning from that family restore meeting to our host’s home, he asked me along the way, “How did it all work? We thought it is very hard situation and would not work out because so many people tried to help Yousif, but in vain.” I replied, “Even I do not know how it worked but I know that God the Holy Spirit worked in their lives and things are settled.”
God restores broken families!
