Your Background Has No Bearing on Your Blessing
Bob Yandian
There is no problem we can face that has been overlooked in God’s Word. The problems of families and children today are no different from the problems people faced in the Old Testament. There were broken relationships, abandoned children, jealousy, betrayal, and people who were mistreated by their own families. But the God who took care of abandoned mothers and children in the Bible is still taking care of them today.
Your background has no bearing on your blessing. No matter what you came out of, no matter how bad the situation has been, God can turn any situation around. Your failure is never bigger than the grace of God. What was meant to destroy you can become a steppingstone into a greater life altogether.
God Can Turn a Life Around
One of my favorite characters in the Bible is Rahab. She had a terrible background, but when she turned toward God, her life changed. She hid the spies who came into Jericho, and eventually she married Salmon. Their son was Boaz, who married Ruth. From that family line came David, and eventually the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew was a tax collector who was looked down on by society. Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted Christians and called himself the chief of sinners. He met the Lord on the road to Damascus, and his whole life was turned around. The man who had been fighting Christians became one of the greatest leaders of the Church.
I think about people in our own time who have come out of difficult backgrounds and gone on to bless others. It is not how bad your beginning was. It is what God can do with your life when you put your trust in Him. God has answers no matter how bad our situation is.
The Trouble in Abraham’s Household
Genesis 21:9–21 tells us about Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar. Abraham and Sarah received a promise from God that they would have a child. But the child was not coming as quickly as they expected. Sarah decided to help God out. She told Abraham to have a child through Hagar, her Egyptian servant.
Hagar came into the household to work. She was not hired to become a surrogate mother for Abraham and Sarah. Yet she was placed in the middle of their attempt to bring God’s promise to pass by their own efforts. And when Ishmael was born, the situation became even more difficult.
Sarah later gave birth to Isaac, just as God promised. But then Sarah saw Ishmael mocking and told Abraham to cast out Hagar and her son. The same woman who arranged for Hagar to bear Abraham’s child now wanted her and the boy gone.
Abraham was grieved because Ishmael was his son. There was a bond between father and child. Ishmael was not Sarah’s son, but he was Abraham’s son, and Abraham loved him. Decisions made in that household were affecting everybody, especially a child who had no part in making them.
God Heard the Voice of the Boy
God told Abraham that Isaac was the child through whom the promised line would be called. But God also said concerning Ishmael, “I will make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed” (Genesis 21:13). Notice that God did not forget Ishmael. He was still Abraham’s son, and God had a future for him.
Early in the morning Abraham gave Hagar bread and a container of water and sent her away with the boy. She wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. Eventually the water was gone. She placed Ishmael under a shrub, moved some distance away, and began to weep. She said she could not bear to watch the child die.
Now notice something important in Genesis 21:17. The Bible says, “God heard the voice of the lad.” Hagar was lifting up her voice and weeping, but the Scripture draws our attention to the boy. God heard Ishmael where he was.
The angel of God called to Hagar and told her not to fear. God promised again to make a great nation from Ishmael. Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She filled the container and gave the boy a drink.
The well was the answer she needed at that moment. And the Bible says God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. What looked like the end of his life became the beginning of another chapter.
A Flawed Home Does Not Cancel God’s Plan
Hagar had lived in a household of believers, but that did not mean the household was perfect. Just because people know the Lord does not mean they never make mistakes. No husband is perfect, no wife is perfect, and no marriage is perfect. We have a perfect Word of God to bring our lives back into line, but people are still growing.
Hagar was placed in a difficult situation by the very people she served. She became the object of jealousy after doing what had been asked of her. Then, when Isaac was born, Sarah decided she did not need Hagar anymore. She wanted to get rid of her.
There are people who may decide they do not need you anymore. They may turn against you, speak against you, or walk away from you. But you will never be gotten rid of by God. He still takes care of you.
Ishmael represents people who may not have the finest birth or the finest upbringing but still have a part to play in God’s plan. God did not forget that boy because of the choices of the adults around him. He heard him, provided for him, and stayed with him.
Learning from Difficult People
There are people in the Bible who are difficult to preach about. Think of Joseph’s brothers, Job’s friends, or Judas. We are not told to imitate their wrongdoing. But the Bible records their lives for our admonition. The righteous show us ways to live, and unrighteous people can show us ways not to live.
When you teach your children to drive, you teach them to watch for good drivers and bad drivers. There are people who speed and people who run red lights. You cannot remove every bad driver from the road, but you can teach your children how to respond.
Life is the same way. There are great people, mediocre people, and people who will try to hurt you. God does not promise that you will never cross paths with difficult people. He does promise that He knows what you are facing and can bring you through it.
Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers and sold into slavery. He went down into Egypt and eventually into prison. Yet God watched over him. There is no depth you can go to that God cannot get you out. Joseph learned through the bad times as well as the good times, and God turned what others meant for evil into blessing.
Forgiveness and the Grace of God
Joseph eventually forgave his brothers. Job also came to a place where he prayed for the friends who had spoken wrongly about him. Forgiveness is important because there will be people around us who need to be forgiven.
You may not understand why somebody mistreated you. You may not agree with what happened. You may wish you had never met that person. But you can still forgive and keep your trust in God. God can take the things that were meant to destroy you and turn them into part of your testimony. He does not have to approve of what people did in order to bring something good out of the situation.
Your Decisions Affect the Next Generation
God wants us to think about the people our choices will touch. He wants parents to raise children in the Word of God. Much of Proverbs teaches practical wisdom for raising a godly child in an ungodly world. And when families are hurting, the Church should be a place where the Word of God brings help, compassion, and hope.
The answer is not to pretend that Christian families are perfect. Perfect people would not need church. We come together because we need the Lord, His Word, and one another. We need to grow, learn, forgive, and become more like Jesus Christ.
God Still Has a Future for You
You may be looking at your background and thinking that it has disqualified you from the blessing of God. Look again at Hagar and Ishmael. When the water was gone and there appeared to be no future, God heard the boy. He opened Hagar’s eyes to the provision that would sustain them, and He was with Ishmael as he grew.
The same God who cared for them still cares for people today. He knows your situation. He knows the people who have hurt you, the decisions that have affected you, and the future He has for you.
You do not have to fight for your own reputation or manufacture your own future. Walk in His paths, obey His Word, and keep your trust in Him. Your background has no bearing on your blessing. No matter what you have come out of, God can turn your life around. To God be the glory!
Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”
In both Old and New Testament times, lots (dice) were cast to determine God’s will. Today we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to guide us. The dice are “loaded” in our favor as long as we choose to walk according to God’s will.
Loaded Dice focuses on the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, illustrating that as long as we follow God to the best of our ability, God is always working behind the scenes to see that things work out in our individual lives.
Message Titles:
You Can’t Lose For Winning
Expect Answers From The Past
Just Get Close
Meet My Mother
4 CDs
Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”
In both Old and New Testament times, lots (dice) were cast to determine God’s will. Today we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to guide us. The dice are “loaded” in our favor as long as we choose to walk according to God’s will.
Loaded Dice focuses on the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, illustrating that as long as we follow God to the best of our ability, God is always working behind the scenes to see that things work out in our individual lives.
Message Titles:
You Can’t Lose For Winning
Expect Answers From the Past
Just Get Close
Meet My Mother
4 Lessons / MCL14
This exciting series from Bob Yandian will inspire you to complete the call that God has on your life by giving you several keys to spiritual growth. You will learn that God has given each one of us the power to frame our own world, and the incredible value of studying the Word of God. Next, you will see the keys to guidance in your life, as well as the importance of wisdom and good sense in your daily walk. Lastly, you will see the power that remembering what God has done in the past brings to you when trials come your way. Begin shaping your destiny today!
5 CDs / 5 Lessons
This exciting series from Bob Yandian will inspire you to complete the call that God has on your life by giving you several keys to spiritual growth. You will learn that God has given each one of us the power to frame our own world, and the incredible value of studying the Word of God. Next, you will see the keys to guidance in your life, as well as the importance of wisdom and good sense in your daily walk. Lastly, you will see the power that remembering what God has done in the past brings to you when trials come your way. Begin shaping your destiny today!
5 MP3s / 5 Lessons
MVL13
God's desire is for His children to focus on Him rather than being preoccupied with their needs. When we prioritize God's kingdom and righteousness, blessings naturally follow, overtaking us as we walk in obedience. Unlike miracles, which are sporadic and temporary, blessings have the potential to be eternal and generational, impacting not just our lives but also the lives of those around us and future generations.
While miracles have their place, God’s greater plan is for His children to live in a state of continuous blessing—a life that not only meets our needs but also enables us to be a blessing to others. By seeking God first, we align ourselves with His best, ensuring a life enriched with His ongoing, overflowing blessings.
Message Titles:
Miracles and Blessings
Pass the Blessings
Blessings, Blessings, Everywhere
3 CDs
God's desire is for His children to focus on Him rather than being preoccupied with their needs. When we prioritize God's kingdom and righteousness, blessings naturally follow, overtaking us as we walk in obedience. Unlike miracles, which are sporadic and temporary, blessings have the potential to be eternal and generational, impacting not just our lives but also the lives of those around us and future generations.
While miracles have their place, God’s greater plan is for His children to live in a state of continuous blessing—a life that not only meets our needs but also enables us to be a blessing to others. By seeking God first, we align ourselves with His best, ensuring a life enriched with His ongoing, overflowing blessings.
Message Titles:
Miracles and Blessings
Pass the Blessings
Blessings, Blessings, Everywhere
3 MP3s / MVL02