“Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

— Genesis 21:18

God is faithful beyond our ability to think or imagine.Some years earlier, Sarah (formerly Sarai) had come up with a plan to produce an heir for Abraham (formerly Abram). Her scheme was outside of God’s plan (Genesis 16-17), but she decided to try it anyway. She gave her servant, Hagar, to Abram to see if she could have a child for her. Hagar conceived, and her child was named Ishmael. At first, Sarah saw the birth of Ishmael as a good thing, but that became a threat when her own son, Isaac, was born. So Sarah decided to remove that threat. Despite the protests of Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away. They wandered aimlessly in the desert, but God provided for them and promised to raise up Ishmael into a nation also.Have you ever tried to limit God’s faithfulness to include only certain people or those who act in a certain way? In the Bible, God shows that his plans and purposes go beyond our expectations.At many funerals I have conducted over the years, I have often stated this biblical truth: “God is more faithful and just than we can ever imagine.” This can be a comfort to people who wonder about God and may also fear for their loved ones who have died. In such moments I often think of a teenager (Ishmael) and his distraught mother, who found that God was with them—in ways beyond our imagining.

Lord, thank you for your surprising faithfulness and care. Open our eyes to the ways you are continually at work in our lives —and far beyond. In Jesus’ name, Amen.