Don’t Birth Ishmael

So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children.  Please go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.”  And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai  – Genesis 16:2

We recently shared a message with you titled “Hope Deferred” which many of you responded very well to. It seems like a lot of us know what it feels like to have our hopes deferred. I know I have had my share but thank God for Jesus; He is our hope and the hope He gives, the world cannot take away.

One of the consequences that occurs during the times when we feel as though our hope is deferred is we commit adultery with the maid and birth Ishmaels.  Ishmaels represents the planned but illegitimate outcome of impatience.

In Genesis 12 God comes to a business man named Abraham and makes him a promise to take him to an unknown land that is full of blessings, make him a great nation and bless many through him.  Excited about the promise, Abraham obeys the Lord and leaves his country only taking his wife, a young nephew and his possessions.  Several years later, Abraham, who experienced enormous blessings from the Lord, realizes that should he die, one of his servants would take over the family business since he does not have any children.  So he goes before the Lord and asks God to bless him with a child who would be heir of his enterprise.  God not only promises him a child but God promises him a nation.

Unfortunately, God did not act fast enough for Abraham’s wife, Sarai, who, due to a lack of patience, suggests that Abraham conceive a child with her maidservant. Hagar, which Abraham does.  The result is Ishmael; the planned illegitimate outcome of taking things into their own hands due to a lack of patience.  How many of you have files full of Ishmaels?  The problem with birthing Ishmaels is that you will have to live with them.  You can make the choice but you do not choose the consequences.  One of my pastors used to say, “Choices are long lasting and life changing.”  Abraham and Sarah had to live with the consequences of Ishmael which brought family issues over inheritance and favoritism which still continues today in the Middle East between Palestine and Israel.  If you are considering committing adultery with an alluring new idea that promises to take you to your hopes quickly and easily while avoiding the trials and tests that you are facing, stop and think about the long term, devastating effect of birthing an Ishmael.  It will not just affect you but it affects those who will come after you for generations to come.

How do you avoid birthing Ishmaels?

1. Be willing to endure the suffering and humiliation of delayed hopes.
2. Count it all joy and rejoice in your challenges knowing that this is the will of God concerning you.
3. Embrace the lessons that God wants to teach you during these times of waiting.
4. Do not allow others to lure you into new ideas no matter how promising they may seem.
5. Count the cost of birthing an Ishmael.
6. Trust that God is faithful.
7. Keep your eyes on the prize, Jesus.  He is your hope and will never defer.

We relocated to Portland in December 2009 and joined a local church that was not just committed to marketplace ministry but demonstrated it by operating within a hotel that it owned.  The founder of the ministry, a great friend and author of The Mission Based Entrepreneurship Revolution has a vision to take this model across the nation and to the world.

In May,2010 six  months after we arrived, there was a fire in the meeting room of a hotel where the worship takes place every Sunday. Within that same week, due to circumstances beyond my pastor’s control, the hotel facility was sold to a non-Christian company.  These circumstances caused many within the congregation to become perplexed.  What happened to the dream we had and what will be of our vision?  What makes me proud to be a part of this congregation and the leadership team of this church is the leadership and the heart of the people.  My friend and Senior Pastor of the church stood up and boldly declared that we would not quit or stop, neither would we birth an Ishmael during this difficult period.  Instead, we would patiently seek the Lord, regroup and more than ever before, commit ourselves to building a model within our church that can demonstrate to others the power of a sustainable strategy that funds social justice and educates others around the nation and the world on how to do the same thing.

It is easy to quit when our hope is deferred.   It is even easier to birth an Ishmael because it makes us feel like we have accomplished something.  Ishmaels temporarily remove the humiliation and disappointment we would otherwise face, but they always bring long-term, devastating and irreversible effects.  Are you currently flirting with a project or idea that you know is not in line with God’s original vision for you?  Seek the Lord for the grace to say, “No Lord, not my will but Your will be done.”