God told Abram. “Get out of your COUNTRY, from your FAMILY and from your FATHER’S HOUSE to a land that I will show you…” –Genesis 12:1
Have you ever wondered why?
He continued, “I will make you a Great Nation, I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” -Verses 2-3.
Have you ever wondered why God needed Abram to leave his family, his father’s house for him to bless him and make him a Great Nation?
Moses lived in Egypt as a Prince. He grew up in Pharaoh’s Palace as his grandson. He ate good food, went to the best schools, lived in the finest buildings, wore the best clothes. But God took him away from all this opulence to the backside of the wilderness to be a shepherd for 40 years!
Have you ever wondered why God needed to do that?
Joseph lived in his father’s house as the Favorite Son. He had big dreams. He knew he was destined for greatness and his brothers would bow down to him one day. But at age 17, his own brothers sold him as a slave to some Egyptian nomads and told their father he had been killed by a wild animal (with proof).
At the end of the day, his dreams came to pass: his brothers who sold him as a slave to Egypt came to the same Egypt to bow down to him over 20 years later.
Why did God need to take Joseph far away from home to elevate him to that height in Egypt?
Daniel was a Jew. He was born in Israel and lived there for several years before he was taken captive to Babylon.
In Babylon, he served in the King’s Palace as one of the Administrators. He had uncommon wisdom and insight that others did not have. He ended up working in the Palace through the reign of FOUR Kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus.
God needed to take him away from his country and his family (like Abram) to make him great.
Why?
Prophet Samuel invited David’s father, Jesse to a feast. “come with your sons”, the Priest instructed him. He came with his sons: but not with David the last son. Apparently, Jesse did not reckon with David as a son. But God did: David was The Chosen One.
He later killed Goliath, the Philistine Giant his three eldest brothers in the army couldn’t face. He later became King of Israel.
In all these examples, you will notice a common denominator: they were all detached from their families before they could fulfil destiny.
Sometimes, we need that detachment because living in your Comfort Zone does not give you the conducive environment to fire you up with the HUNGER and DRIVE to fulfil destiny.
When God told Abram to leave his family, he did: but took his nephew, Lot with him. At some point, Lot had to leave.
Scripture records, “And the Lord said to Abram AFTER LOT HAD SEPARATED FROM HIM…” –Genesis 13:14.
God needed a 100% separation from his family for Abram to move to the next level.
Scripture tells us, “God sets the SOLITARY IN FAMILIES, He brings out those who are BOUND into PROSPERITY…” –Psalm 68:6
Why?
So that all the Glory of your success will go to Him and Him ALONE.
Abraham did not inherit anything from his father, neither did David become King because his father was Royalty. Daniel’s success in Babylon had nothing to do with his parents and Joseph was elevated in Egypt in spite of his family’s shenanigans, not because of it.
It was just God, nothing more, nothing less.
That is why God gave us this advice: “Look to Abraham your father… for I called him ALONE and blessed him and increased him” –Isaiah 51:2
In other words, be like Abraham: detach yourself of all encumbrances and trust ME to bless and increase you!
A lot of us are just too comfortable to be used of God, too much at ease, no drive, no fire within. God needs people with fire in their bones, people with hunger in their eyes.
David was running all over the place from Saul who was after his life. At some point he entered Survivor Mode: he had to pretend to be mad to escape from Gath. See all the beautiful Psalms he wrote when he was unsettled! But when he eventually entered rest, he became complacent: he started noticing things he never noticed before: he started seeing naked women bathing!
A friend once told me, “Harry, there’s a level you are in life as a man you only remember you have a penis when you’re peeing or taking a shower!” But when we enter rest and are at ease like David and Solomon, we suddenly remember there’s another gender.
Scripture says, “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion…” –Amos 6:1.
There is a degree of comfort that makes Christians loose guard and become complacent, we become docile and lose the fire and zeal.
But when we are solitary, when we are alone like Abraham, David, Joseph, Moses and Daniel, we are more useful to God: our ears become sharper to instructions- we hear better, we see clearer.
I think that was what Jesus meant when He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers sisters- even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” –Luke 14:26.
Indeed, God sets the SOLITARY in families!
Shalom,
Haruna Daniels