February 12, 2023 - Navigating the Troubled Waters of Family Conflict - Pastor Paul Vallee

Genesis 21:1-21, Marriage Series The issue is not whether we will ever experience times of conflict but how we will respond to them. There is a naive sense of what biblical unity is all about. We tend to go from two extremes, where conflict becomes a way of life, or to a state of denial when issues arise. As I was reflecting on a passage of Scripture regarding a story of a domestic dispute, it made me realize that not all outcomes are easy, but God can help us navigate through the troubled waters of family conflict. Even in moments of discomfort, God is at work in a very real way if we care to see Him. Even when outcomes are not what we anticipated or desired, we discover that God is present and can help us embrace His promises while providing a way to move forward. There are three movements in the story that I want us to notice today that will eventually lead our hearts to a place of reassurance and genuine hope regardless of how difficult our situation or circumstance may be in our lives. We must remind ourselves that ‘God will never leave us or forsake us,’ though others might. When it comes to marital conflict, we feel overwhelmed and uncertain. How can God work in what seems like an impossible situation? Or why does God allow relationships to disintegrate? When the Scriptures teach that ‘all things work together for good to those who love God, it may not mean that it works out the way we want it to or think it should. God does not overrule human freedom to make choices even when it causes pain in lives. In real life, we don’t always ‘live happily ever after, at least not in this life.’ For God’s children, we grow from life’s most challenging moments and ultimately find our footing again. Right from the beginning of the human experience, we see all the sinful attitudes and actions exploding on the scene within the first four chapters of the Bible. Once sin enters the human family, we immediately see a withdrawal from God, blaming others for our sin, being envious of those who seem to have things going their way, and even the attitude that leads to the first murder. Then we come to our spiritual father in the faith, Abraham. One of the great patriarchs of the Bible, we discover the struggles that he faces, even in his family life. In Genesis 21:1-21, we find the explosive moment between Sarah and Hagar’s relationship that ends in the rejection of Hagar and Ishmael from Abraham’s household.