Let Your Ishmael's Go Now

by Lonnie Mackley

GE 17:18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"

   There are many of us at the end of our wilderness time that are still clinging to Ishmael's that were birthed in our lives and begging God to bless them when God wants and needs us to let those old things of the past go, and to get ready for the new Isaac's that He wants to bring into our lives. Some people are clinging to old ex-spouses, ex-ministries, estranged children, past careers, past friendships, past ministry partners, past failures, or getting rich quick. But many of these things may or may not even be God's will, and because they are an idol in our hearts they have kept us stuck and prevented us from fully going forward. We might think that we know what is best for us, but only God truly knows what is best for us.

GE 21:9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac."

   Abraham had to let Ishmael go because God cannot bless or mix our fleshly ideas of His blessing in with His actual fulfilled promises. If we had our way, the flesh and Spirit would always be fighting with each other and nothing would work out right. Ishmael might have tried to kill Isaac once they got older, and our flesh works would constantly be trying to kill the Spirit works that God births. It must have hurt Abraham terribly to send Ishmael away, but we have to be willing to get rid of the flesh altogether to finally bring peace and Spirit back into our lives. God sees the future of how things will go and at times He even gives us our way just to show that His way really was better. We must trust in God's choices for us.

GE 21:14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.

   You too may have to be willing to finally send your Ishmael away at least in your heart, and trust that whatever is of God will return. Love and strong desire can often blind us to the truth, so we must let go of our desires in order to find and embrace God's perfect will. Some of us may even find that our Ishmael turns out to be our Isaac one day, but we must place our expectations for those outcomes into God's hands for Him to decide. I can tell you truly that many of you are about to receive your Isaac blessings now, but you must let go of all of your Ishmael works first in order to get it. Your Isaac is coming now my friend, so be willing to finally let Ishmael go, and you will see that God really does know what is best for you.

HEB 11:11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.