Daily Lesson for February 2, 2016

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Genesis chapter 21 verses 14 through 19:

14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.

God made provision for both the sons of Abraham -- the firstborn Ishmael and the second Isaac -- and all their descendants. Though one child was destined to be the father of Israel, the other child found blessing and providence also. God was watching over both.

To say that I am blessed does not mean that you are not. For one to receive the favor or the call does not negate God's care and concern for the other. Ishmael and Isaac were both sons of Abraham; and we are all children of God.

God hears the voice of all His children when they cry. There is no voice which goes unheard or unknown. And there is no child seeking refuge who goes unnoticed.

There remains a terrible crisis going on in Syria. These are the children of Hagar; and God still hears their cry.

Please join us at Second B on the evening of Thursday, March 3 at 7pm as we too will listen to voices from the Syrian refugee crisis living here among us in Lubbock.

Attribution:	Artaud, W. (William), 1763-1823 ; Bromley, William, 1769-1842. The Macklin Bible -- Hagar and Ishmael, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54094[retrieved February 2, 2016]. Original source: A gift to Vanderbilt University from John J. and Anne Czura..