Voice: Kae Chee
Today is Thursday, 5th of February.
As we start another day, let us observe a moment of silence.
We pray:
Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
Psalm 15
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Genesis 21:8-21
8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.[a] 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” 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. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Seen, Heard, and Not Forgotten
Ishmael—the son of Hagar—is described as laughing or mocking. The Hebrew suggests more than playful teasing; it signals rivalry and threat. Sarah reacts decisively:
“Cast out this slave woman with her son.” (v.10)
Abraham is deeply distressed. Ishmael is his son too. Yet God tells Abraham to listen to Sarah—not because her motives are pure, but because the covenant line will come through Isaac, while God Himself will take responsibility for Ishmael.
Hagar and Ishmael are sent away with minimal provisions into the wilderness of Beersheba. When the water runs out, death seems inevitable.
In utter despair, Hagar places the boy under a bush and withdraws, unable to bear watching him die. And then we are told:
“God heard the voice of the boy.” (v.17)
God hears the cry of the abandoned child.
Hagar’s eyes are opened to see a well nearby—a provision that had been there all along. Ishmael survives. God had a plan for him. He would become the father of a great nation, and verse 20 quietly but powerfully tells us:
“God was with the boy as he grew up.”
Ishmael, unlike Isaac, is not part of the covenantal line through which God would bring salvation history forward. Yet this does not mean he is outside God’s care or purposes.
God’s covenant promise flows through Isaac.
God’s compassionate presence remains with Ishmael.
Election does not imply neglect.
Promise does not cancel mercy.
Do you sometimes feel disregarded?
Do you feel that unjust decisions by those with power over you have pushed you into a less favoured position?
Do you feel like you are living on the margins of someone else’s blessing?
Do you ever wonder if God has bypassed you in His plans?
This passage speaks powerfully to those who feel that way.
The love of God is not a limited resource. His purposes are not confined to the centre of the story. His grace creates room, hope, and future even on the edges.
As the apostle Paul reminds us:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
— Ephesians 2:10
God hears your voice.
God provides what you cannot see.
God is with you as you grow.
And He will help you walk in the plans He has lovingly prepared for you.
In closing, we pray the prayer of Clement of Rome (1st Century)
We beseech you, Master,
to be our helper and protector.
Save the afflicted among us;
have mercy on the lowly;
raise up the fallen;
appear to the needy;
heal the ungodly;
restore the wanderers of thy people;
feed the hungry;
ransom our prisoners;
raise up the sick;
comfort the faint-hearted.
Amen.
We end with this hymn by Sarah Groves, He’s Always been Faithful:
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Morning by morning, I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season, I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me
I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me
This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful to me
Song Credit and copyright – Sara Groves
Written by: Sara Groves
Great Is Thy Faithfulness written by Thomas Chisholm & William Runyan
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at terrywong@anglican.org.sg
Daily Devotion 
Leave a comment