Ishmael's descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives.

Genesis 25:18

The promise God had once made to Hagar (Gen. 16:10), the mother of Ishmael, was now coming true. He would indeed be the father of many. Moreover, even as an angel prophesied of Ishmael that he would live "in open hostility against all his relatives," so it would be with his descendants.

Given our knowledge of family systems, it comes as no surprise that Ishmael's family was broken. He was born into a difficult and conflicted situation. He experienced rejection from his mother's mistress, Sarah, and was clearly not his father's favored son. Such pain in families tends to be passed on through the generations, long after the original offenses have been forgotten.

Only God can bring healing to broken families. Only God can set us free from generational bondage. Only God can help us, however partially, to experience in our families that which he had intended in the first place.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How have you experienced family brokenness in your life? Have you received "generational baggage" that you're acting out, even today? Have you asked the Lord to bring healing to your heart? To your family?

PRAYER:  O Lord, how painful family life can be at times! To be sure, we experience some of life's dearest blessings in our families. But we can also live like the descendants of Ishmael, with hostility and division.

Heal our families, Lord. Begin with us, as we open our hearts to you. Deal with the woundedness in us, so that we might be agents of healing and health in our families. Amen.