Genesis 21-22

“And God heard the boy crying … and God was with the boy, and he grew” (21:20). Ishmael existed because Abraham doubted God. He was the child of Abraham’s doubt and fear, not the child of faith and trust. But as a person, known and loved by God, Ishmael was not a mistake. Though God’s plan to redeem the world was going to be carried about by Isaac’s descendants, God had time and love and concern for Ishmael.

Sin, fear, and doubt produce complicated situations in our lives. But God’s infinite love embraces it all and, in His hands, every bit is redeemable.