Totally: Getting to Know Our Knowing, Present, Capable, Caring GodSample

Everyone in Abraham’s household was a member of God’s “flock” because of His covenant with Abraham. As such, they could count on God to take very good care of them.

When Abraham was one hundred years old, well past the age of fatherhood, God finally gave him a son, Isaac, through Sarai at the exact time He had promised to do so. God wanted everyone to know that He was the One Who had made the miracle of Isaac’s birth possible.

As miraculous as Isaac’s birth was, Ishmael chose to mock the miracle. This bothered Sarah, so she asked Abraham to cast Hagar and Ishmael out. Although Abraham loved Ishmael, he agreed to Sarah’s plan and sent Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness with few provisions. He knew that God would take care of them because God had promised to do so.

God did take care of Hagar and Ishmael. In fact, letting Sarah have her way was a sort of kindness. Had Ishmael stayed in the camp with Isaac with the attitude he had been displaying, he could have caused trouble or stayed in trouble, which would have endangered his own chances of becoming a great nation. Hagar and Ishmael didn’t see it that way, of course. In fact, Hagar had serious doubts, but doubts don’t determine the reality of God.

Human perspective often prevents us from recognizing God’s wisdom and kindness to us. That doesn’t mean He is unwise or unkind. It just means that we need God more than we think we do.

Ishmael grew up to be exactly the kind of person God had said he would be, but God stayed with Him anyway because He had promised Abraham He would. God is faithful even when we are not (see 2 Timothy 2:13).