God Never Abandons His People

Deep within each of us lies a longing to be chosen, to be set apart as special and valued. This message takes us into the heart-wrenching story of Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis 21, where we encounter a truth that shatters our assumptions about divine favoritism: God never abandons the people of His promise. As we witness Sarah's vindictive demand to cast out the slave woman and her son, and Abraham's anguished obedience, we're confronted with one of Scripture's most uncomfortable narratives. Yet in the wilderness, where Hagar places her dying son under a bush and weeps at a distance, we discover something profound. God hears the voice of this 'no-name nobody' who shouldn't even exist according to the promise. He doesn't just hear—He is with him. The boy's very name, Ishmael, means 'God hears,' and in that moment, God hears the voice of 'God hears.' This isn't a story about being the chosen one in the way we imagine. It's about recognizing that if we belong to God, we already have more promises than we can count: He will never leave us or forsake us, He will complete the good work He began in us, and one day He will wipe away every tear. Whether we feel like the chosen Isaac or the rejected Ishmael, God's faithfulness transcends our circumstances and feelings.