But God said to him, “Do not 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” (Genesis 21:12 NIV).
Do not be so distressed. What was born out of your human decision has to be got rid of. It is because it never had divine approval in the first place. But God allowed it to happen.
That does not mean that God’s hand was in it. He only allowed things to happen according to your plans. And that again does not mean that it was the best that could have happened to you.
Now the time of confrontation has come. God has now brought His plan to come to pass in your life. In other words His time for doing some great things in your life has come.
And what was born out of your decision and what was born out of God’s promise (Isaac) are bound to be in conflict with each other. You will not be able to bear that burden. Therefore God says to get rid of what was born out of your decision (Ishmael).
But the matter can distress you. Here God is very realistic. He is concerned about your concern about your pet project. He says that He will look after the consequences of your decision to obey His word.
Will you dare to abandon your pet project? It cannot give you peace of mind for what God had purposed for your life has now come to pass. Your future lies in nurturing what God has given you now. Take special care of it.
In fact by allowing you to part with what had happened without divine approval in your life; God is showing you grace to live in spite of your mistake. He is setting things right now. Therefore do not be so distressed.
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