Gen 17:15-16 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife...I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her"
What I love here is the way that God still came through on his earlier promise to Sarai, despite the fact that she had taken the matter into her hands by giving Hagar to Abe. God is gracious and forgiving, and gives Sarah another chance to receive her promise. We mustn't feel that we have walked out on God's promises when we sin, but repent and believe he will still do what he has said he will do.
Gen 17:20: 'And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will surely bless him"
God heard Abraham's prayer and answered it, building Ishmael (a child born outside of God's plan) into his plans. This reminds me of those wonderful words of Jesus "ask and it will be given to you". We need to ask God for what we want, as he is a loving father who WANTS to give us what we want! Don't judge your requests like Abe could have, thinking 'oh no, this is my lot, and it was my own fault for drifting from God's plan', just ask HIM!
Gen 17:23 'On that very day'
Why did God bless Abe so much? One possible answer is seen here: he didn't procrastinate, but got on and did what was asked of him by God. Do we put stuff off that we know is right? As Nike like to say: Just Do It.
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