But we have Abraham as our father

Last night I was listening to a CD from a pastor from a university in Lakeland, Florida named Mark Rutland (see GlobalServants.org). Dr. Rutland was speaking about waiting on God to deliver what He has promised. It was a great sermon for me since I feel like I am in a period of waiting on God. And I tell you, it can be very painful to wait at times. Anyway, Dr. Rutland used the story of Abraham as an example of waiting on God. He pointed to the fact that Abraham and Sarah got impatient as they waited on God to deliver the promised son Isaac. In the story, Sarah gave her servant Hagar to Abraham in order for Hagar to bear a child (hopefully a son) to Abraham. Hagar did indeed conceive and her son was named Ishmael who became the father of the Arab peoples.

So as I was listening to Dr. Rutland recount this story from the Bible and warning the audience to be patient on God and not move out ahead of God, I realized how the things that we do in life have eternal consequences. It dawned on me that Abraham was the father of both Isaac and Ishmael. And he loved them both. And was a father to them both. It even says in Genesis that Abraham was greatly distressed (Gen 21:11) because Sarah demanded that he send Hagar and Ishmael away. I realized that Abraham even to this day as he presumably sits in heaven with God (Luke 16:22, Luke 13:28) is grieved over what the sons of Ishmael are doing on the earth. We are living in a time where the sons of Ishmael (and also the sons of Abraham) are called, "terrorists". I think of Abraham as a father figure who loves his sons and wants the best for them. I think Abraham is grieved over the fact that his sons by Ishmael are labeled "terrorists" and I think he is grieved over the atrocities committed by his sons.

It touched me that Abraham who the Bible lavishes praise on, and who seems untouchable in his righteousness, has something in his past that effects him in an eternal sense. It really put a realistic light on the things that we do in our life and how they affect us eternally.