When God instructs Abraham to send out Hagar and Ishmael, it was hard for Abraham to obey. Once Abraham realized that God had a better plan for Ishmael than Abraham could provide, he did not delay in sending them out.

Although Abraham was very wealthy, he only sent Hagar and Ishmael out with a small about of bread and water. He knew that God would take care of them. As they also represented the life of the Law and the works for the flesh (Galatians 3, 4), Abraham needed to cut away His relationship with them and commit them completely to God. By doing this, Abraham was trusting in God's grace.

When the water ran out, Hagar was sure that she and Ishmael would die, but God had a plan for them as well and opened her eyes to the well of water that was nearby.

Key Takeaways:

God wants us to trust Him and remember his promises even when we don't understand what He is doing.
Growing in faith means obeying God even when we don't like what he has asked of us.
When we do trust God, we can fully rely upon Him.
Sometimes we need to release people to God so they can also learn to trust in Him.
When we sorrow in our circumstances, we can easily miss the blessings God has already given to refresh us.

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