Devotionals

Genesis 21:16-17

When Hagar was forced to leave Abraham’s camp, she wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, a region roughly 30 miles southwest of Hebron. Hagar, like most suddenly single parents, faced the challenge of having to survive alone, having to make too little provision cover too many needs, and wondering if God still cared.

Perhaps you’re experiencing a time in your life when you feel absolutely alone. Your future is bleak, and you can’t remember the last time you really laughed. Your soul is parched, and you don’t know where to turn.

Genesis 21:10-11

Genesis 21 gives the account of a man whose previous sin now haunts him and harms the people he loves. The birth of Abraham’s long-awaited heir, Isaac, gave him and Sarah great joy, but their delight became tinged with regret.

Roughly 15 years earlier, they had tried to rush God’s plan. In their haste to receive the fulfilment of God’s promise, they schemed to have a son on their own terms and according to their own timing. So Sarah’s Egyptian handmaid, Hagar, gave birth to a son named Ishmael—a child of Abraham, but not the long-awaited promised child.

Genesis 21:7

Long after Abraham and Sarah had given up hope of experiencing this joy, they held their very own son in their arms. It would have been easy for them to lose hope when the fulfilment of the promise didn’t come about in the way or the timing they expected. But their trust in the Lord went deeper than their human perspective, deeper than their doubts.

As I look back on my life, I recall many prayers I’m thankful the Lord chose to set aside. He gave me instead what I needed. And what He gave brought me even greater long-term happiness and more deep-down joy.

Genesis 21:5-6

Genesis 21:1-2

God isn’t in a hurry, so He didn’t have a problem waiting a quarter century before fulfilling His promise and allowing Abraham and Sarah to conceive. Who knows why He waited that long? It was His call; His timing is perfect. Personally, I believe Abraham would not have been ready any earlier. Abraham needed spiritual maturity, so the Lord waited.

Genesis 20:2

Genesis 19:1

When God paid His visit to Sodom and Gomorrah, these twin cities controlled a lush, fertile valley through which ran the Jordan River. These two population centres were the economic hub for everyone living at the southern end of this valley, and their wealth probably contributed to the beauty of their architecture and art. Still, their immorality had become notorious, even among pagan, idol-worshipping communities outside the valley. A thin veneer of beauty shielded the uninformed eye from the cities’ true natures.

Genesis 18:20, 23-24

Like many people, I approached prayer simplistically when I first learned how to pray. Ask God for what you want. If you ask Him correctly or impress Him sufficiently, He just might grant your request. Or not. Who really knows? But as I learned more about prayer, I discovered that much of my thinking had been clouded by misunderstandings prevalent in popular culture.

Genesis 17:2

Nearly 25 years had passed since the Lord first spoke to Abram in Ur. Since then, his spiritual roots had pushed deep into the soil of faith in his God. At long last, he trusted in the Lord’s promise and rested in His sovereign will. He was now capable of receiving the covenant blessings.

Genesis 17:1

Thirteen years passed, and Abram didn’t hear anything from God. There was no vision. There was no voice. There was no visit. Only silence. Try to imagine: complete silence on God’s part for 13 years.