Gen 16-18, Mark 6

Choices

Ishmael must have lived in turmoil wondering where he belonged.  Especially once Issac was born.  One could hardly blame him.  It wasn’t like his father actually loved his mother. She was a means to an end. I imagine a young boy trying to figure out where he belonged. Constantly trying to please the adults in his life.  Abraham was a Godly man, but he wasn’t God. Neither his mother, nor Sara rose above being more than mere mortals.

Ismael was born because Sara didn’t have the patience to wait on God’s plan.  She chose to move things along at her discretion.  This cause so much turmoil.  Turmoil in which a young man’s life was in disarray.

Ismael had choices to make as well. He also made those choices based on the disruption, and chaos in his life.

In Mark 6, despite the miracles and wonders and teachings of the Messiah, people chose to not believe. To make excuses. They were more willing to believe that John the Baptist, who had been beheaded, had been brought back from the dead, than this man was the Messiah.

We must also make choices daily.  To walk in faith with God, or to fly by the seat of our pants, wondering and worrying!

My prayer today is that I make the choices that are pleasing to God  That I not only say, “Your will, not mine.”, but that love those words.