God heard the boy crying.

I have read or been taught about Genesis probably 100 times. Today I was reading Genesis 21. Wow! Just Wow! There are so many goodies in there.

In Chapter 21, God has blessed Sarah and Abraham with a child, Isaac. She is in her nineties. Back then, 90 must have been the new 40. I can’t even imagine what having a baby at ninety looks like. But like with all things, God makes everything beautiful. So they were having a party because Isaac had been weaned. He was about 3 years old. Definitely time for a celebration! At the party, there was drama. Abraham’s baby mama, Hagar, was there with their son, Ishmael. Well Sarah didn’t like that “Hagar’s son ” was teasing and mocking Isaac. She told Abraham that she’s got to go and that kid too.

This is in Genesis! It sounds like a reality TV show from today.

Abraham was conflicted. I mean Ishmael was his son. He didn’t want him to go. So, he went to the Lord. “But God said to him, ” Don’t be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” (Genesis 21:11)

Abraham, a faithful and obedient servant of the Lord, listened to God and did what he said and sent Hagar and Ishmael on their way. How hard that would have been for Abraham? How hard it is for any of us to heed the Lord and do what he asks us to do. In Proverbs, it says “A God-loyal life keeps you on track and sin dumps the wicked in the ditch.” (Proverbs 13:6) So even though it is incredibly hard to listen and obey God sometimes, much blessing comes from it. Not just earthly blessing but more importantly, eternal treasure.

Now it wasn’t like Abraham set up Hagar and Ishmael with a house on the other side of town. They were in the desert. He gave them some food and a skin of water and sent her off with the boy. Ishmael is sixteen when this happens.

There was no map. There was no one to ask if this was the right way to go. They wandered the desert of Beersheba. They had no where to go. The skin of water gave them about 1 day of water. It went quickly and they were in trouble. Hagar put the boy under a tree and left him because she could not bear to watch him die. She began to sob.

Ishmael was crying too. We know this because in the next verse it says, “God heard the boy crying and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven.” The angel tells her that God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. (Genesis 21:17)

God heard the boy crying as he lies there. God heard.

I was really struck by this. Can you even begin to fathom it? We sometimes think that God is far away. He isn’t. He hears us. How awesome is that? In Psalm 56:8 it says, “You (God) keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” As an organizing nerd, it makes my head hurt to even try to understand how He does it. I picture rooms and rooms of cute glass bottles with corks on shelves that go to the ceiling. And then these super cool labels on the bottle, organized by date. There is this vintage leather book with pages that record it all. So I stop thinking about it and am just grateful that He does. Why does God do that? Because He loves us like no other.

I think we get glimpses of this when those close to us have sorrow. We carry their sorrows with us like a backpack. It is a beautiful thing.

So then what happened. The angel of God told Hagar to lift the boy up and take him by the hand for I will make him into a great nation. So she did. God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. How often are we blinded by our troubles and don’t see the solution right in front of us? For me, too often. Time after time, God teaches me this lesson. “Seek first his kingdom.” (Matthew 6:33)

God was with the boy as he grew up.

These verses that you and I have read and heard over and over again, reveals so much about the character of God, His sovereignty, and His love for us. God heard the boy crying. God makes everything beautiful. God hears us. Obedience to God will be blessing in your life, even if its hard and it usually is. He keeps track of our sorrows. Seek Him first. He has all the answers. He loves us like no other.

I would love to hear from you about what you heard God speaking to you in those verses (goodies). Read Genesis 21: 1-20 and shoot me an email or put in the comments below.

Love y’all! be still and know (Psalms 46:10)