As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father 12 tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. Genesis 17:20 HCSB
When I was a child I always hated when we would choose teams. Naturally, we all wanted to be chosen first for our athletic abilities. The dreaded position for each class member was to be the last person chosen. Nobody seemingly wanted whoever was chosen last and the last team to pick had no other option. They really never wanted the sole person who remained. There is nothing much more demoralizing than to be the last one picked.
Ishmael would not be picked to be Abraham’s heir. He was the first born son of Abraham, but he was not Sarah’s son. Ishmael’s mother was Sarah’s maidservant. Sarah, thinking that she could not have children, resorted to giving her maidservant to Abraham in an attempt to produce an heir. This was not God’s plan. Later Sarah would give birth to a son, Isaac, and he would be the one that would establish a covenant relationship with God. He would be Abraham’s heir. Even though Ishmael would not be the heir, God would not forget him and promised that Ishmael would be blessed and be the father of a great nation.
Challenge: Regardless of your circumstances or your position in life, God has not forgotten you. When you wonder if God even cares about what you are going through, remember that He is in control. When you trust Him, you can be assured that God will bring good from any situation and circumstance for those who love and obey Him.