Have you ever had a stubborn person in your life who makes things difficult for you? Someone with whom there is so much unresolved conflict that it feels as though you simply cannot get through to each other anymore?

 

Last week, I spoke to a woman who told me that her marriage is going through a very difficult time. She and her husband barely speak to each other, and because of the ongoing conflict, they are currently sleeping in separate bedrooms.

 

It breaks her heart. She longs for God to intervene. She desperately wants them to understand each other's perspectives and find their way back to one another. But to her, it feels as though her husband's heart has simply become hardened.

 

As I listened to her, I was reminded of the words of Proverbs 21:1.

 

Think about that for a moment. If God can touch and influence the heart of a king, surely, he can also work in the heart of the person you are struggling with today!

 

Throughout the Bible, we see how God works in people's hearts and circumstances. Think about Esther. When she approached the king without an invitation, he received her with favour (Esther 5:2). Joseph found favour with Pharaoh, who eventually placed him in charge of Egypt (Genesis 41:39–41). Daniel received favour and compassion from the chief official (Daniel 1:9). And when Nehemiah asked the king for permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city's walls, the king granted his request. Nehemiah himself acknowledged that it was because God's gracious hand was upon him (Nehemiah 2:8).

 

Perhaps there is someone in your life whose heart has become so hardened that you have almost given up hope. What if, today, you stopped trying to change that person's heart yourself and instead asked God to do what you cannot? Ask him to soften hearts, clear up misunderstandings and make forgiveness possible.

 

Relationships matter to God. The heart that seems impossible for you to reach is never beyond God's reach.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that you know every person's heart and that nothing is impossible for you. Please touch the hearts that need to change — including my own. I trust you to open the way for reconciliation. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.