“The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net, from the destructive plague. He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield” (Psalms 91:1-4, HCSB). ‘In this New Year, what do you think one should concentrate on?’ A young man asked his friend. ‘I believe one should invest in and cultivate right and strong relationships’, his friend replied. ‘Relationships’, he continued, ‘can open doors for you to make money, get influence and succeed in every area of one’s life. It is impossible to go wrong with the right relationship’. ‘You are right’ the young man replied, ‘if there is something I had discovered, those that made it did so through the right strong relationships they cultivated’. This is the thought of many sons of God as they enter into the New Year! Beloved, relationships are good but when they are raised to the levels where they seem to be deified, there is a problem. How can you find the face of God when your heart and mind are bent on seeking and finding the face of men?
Many teachers of the Gospel have pushed the envelope of relationships to the point that they do not see God can favor or reward a person except through ‘relationships’. For this reason, many of their congregants and listeners have turned their sights on seeking the hands of men rather than focusing on seeking the face of God. As a result, many are disappointed and wounded, but out of shame and pain they are silenced and unable to speak against relationships that have led them on the paths of error and destruction they currently travel on. Let’s be clear however on what this particular relationship being discussed means. Most dictionaries describe a Relationship as how two or more people or things are connected or the state of being connected. The teaching on relationships by many on the Pulpit describes it as being under protection through connection! If this is so, then one can deduce from the discussion of the two friends above that the right and strong relationship being peddled by many can be likened to an umbrella or shadow that shields the subjects from any unpleasantness and open them up for mutually beneficial opportunities. We have been taught severally from many pulpits that we need these right and strong relationships to function properly in a world that is getting darker and tougher daily to get by. A speaker once said recently, a relationship that makes you less of the person you are or you want to be should be discontinued. And in the same breath encouraged his listeners to actively seek great relationships and not lose them even if such relationships don’t rise to the level they think they should have! A head-scratching moment I dare say!
When questioned further, those that desire and seek these strong and right relationships believe it will benefit them in the areas of opening doors of prosperity, success, influence, security, emotional well-being, etc. With the above explanations, it means the relationships cast shadows that give those that cultivate them a sense of confidence to live, move and do business. This means, in the relationship, one of the parties protects the other(s). It then follows that those that are being protected are living under the shadow of the protector!
Listening to the arguments being proffered about cultivating right and strong relationships as a child of God, one will tend to agree with them, especially in these dire times we live in. However, as great as these shadows are they cannot provide security and save us from the terrible dangers of life now and to come. If you disagree, let’s pause and consider: Is it not possible in our quest, as sons of God to want to have the right and strong relationship, that we may have to compromise our faith a little bit in certain areas?
Beloved, as we enter and desire to thrive in this New Year, we need to re-evaluate our relationships and put them in the right perspective. When we raise them to the level of ‘gods’, we will be very disappointed because the relationships are human and they will fail when we need them the most: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and who depend on horses! They trust in the abundance of chariots and a large number of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel and they do not seek the Lord’s help. Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the Lord raises His hand to strike, the helper will stumble and the one who is helped will fall; both will perish together” (Isaiah 31:1, 3, HCSB).
There is only one relationship under whose shadow all that we are desiring will come to be, especially security in all spheres. No matter the relationships we cultivate, all must flow from the relationship we have with the Creator of the Universe. Relationships that go contrary to our relationship with our Father in Heaven will not give us our desired outcomes. After all, He is our Present help in times of trouble; He is closer to us than a brother; He knows when you rise and when you sleep; and above all, He only has good thoughts for you and a plan for your future! As we grow in our relationship with Him, this is His sure Word for us: “Because he is lovingly devoted to Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name. When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. I will satisfy him with a long life and show him My salvation” (Psalms 91:14-16, HCSB), Amen! God bless you, and Happy and Blessed New Year!
