Genesis 17: 15-21
I have been particularly introspective these past few days. I think my battle to stay out of the abyss has had me in a state of mental overdrive.
It was almost four years ago, when one of my professors shared a short devotional on Isaac and Ishmael. Actually, I guess it was moreso on Abraham, with particular focus on the Isaac/Ishmael part of his story. It has stuck with me ever since, and it is at times like this when the message is ever so salient. The gist of the message is this:
Don't settle for an Ishmael (or force an Ishmael), when you have been promised an Isaac.
God is not a jocular God. While he has blessed us with humor and joy, he is not prone to tantalize us with promise for sport. When he prepares or hearts and minds for something He will deliver.
Ishmael represents instant gratification. It is a desire in your heart that you corrupt by getting too antsy. Instead of waiting on or working toward the best, you settle/opt for good enough, because it is already in your current reality. God has a way of making us wait for the really good stuff. Sometimes it is to prepare us for it, sometimes it is o test/strengthen our commitment to it, and sometimes it is for a greater purpose that he reveals to us in due time. Whatever the reason, waiting sucks! Even proactive waiting (which is what I believe God usually calls us to) sucks. It can feel like you are striving/preparing/growing for nothing when your promise doesn't come when you hope for it. That is precisely when Ishmael seems so enticing. The wait can be so long that we begin to lose sight of the vision, and we began to think we need to help it along. "Surely this must be the plan," we assure ourselves as we go after our Ishmael.
I have noticed quite a few Ishmaels in my life lately. Some of have been career trajectories, relational interests, recreational activities, and even some social connections. Actually, I noticed them some time ago, but I am just now calling them what they are: Settlements (aka Ishmaels). I am grateful for times like this to be reminded that there is more and with a little time and effort and a lot of patience, the Isaacs of my life will be birthed, despite the fact that it seems like my womb is dried up.
The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.
****
After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.
But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless..."
[God] took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
...Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived (Ishmael).
