Jan 31 - Abraham is a Blessing to Ishmael

Read Genesis 17:15-22

Context: When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him to confirm their covenant. He changed Abram's name to Abraham, and He told Abraham about the land his many descendants would receive. God told Abraham to circumcise all males in his household and all those to come.

Text:
15 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"
19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. [a] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. (NIV)
Footnotes:
Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs .
taken from www.biblegateway.com

If you know the story of Ishmael, Abraham's first son by Sarai's maidservant Hagar, you know that he and his mother had a really rough time. Sarai had told Abraham to sleep with Hagar so that he could have a son, then when Hagar got pregnant Sarai abused her. Many years later, when Ishmael was about 17, Sarai insisted that Abraham send both Ishmael and Hagar away.

Regardless of what Sarai thought, though, Ishmael was still Abraham's firstborn. We don't see too many instances of father/son bonding, but I'm sure Abraham taught Ishmael many 'boy' things like fishing and skipping rocks. When God told Abraham he would have a son by Sarai that would be blessed of God, the first thing Abraham requests is that Ishmael be blessed to.

God is so good to us. He has His plan, but He also cares about our heart's desires. Think back to a time when God provided something just because you wanted it, not because it was a need. Thank Him for His blessing!