The first patriarch Stephen spoke of was Abraham, who was first known as Abram. Abraham was known for his relationship with God, but he so often failed to live up to his part of the relationship.  God then instructed Abraham to leave his kindred and go to a land He would lead him to.  Abraham failed to do exactly what God had instructed him to do.  He took Lot, his nephew along, and this caused numerous problems.  We need to learn that if God says leave it all, we need to leave it all. Then God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, but when it didn't happen on Abraham's time table, he decided to take steps to ensure that God's plan would succeed.  When we grow impatient with God fulfilling His promises to us, we like Abraham will make a mess of things that may never be overcome.  We need to think only of Ishmael and his descendants and the impact this has had on the world.  Who created this situation?  Not Ishmael, and certainly not God.  It was Abraham's not waiting on God.  As I stated in an earlier post, sometimes we must just wait.  God promised Abraham he would be the father of a great nation when he was seventy five, and the promise wasn't fulfilled for twenty-five years, but it was always a certainty to God.  For followers today, we can be certain that God's promise of eternity with Him will never be in doubt.  We are promised an eternal dwelling place called Heaven, and though we have yet to set foot in it, we can rest assured that God has prepared it for us.