“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” — Genesis 21:17-18 NIV
If there’s a man to stand in the gap to pray in every family on this earth, this place will be a better place to live. In Africa, I’ve seen so many families facing a series of struggles one way or the other. Much of these struggles began when the forefathers didn’t yield their lives unto God; but worshipped idols, giving way for the devil to have legal grounds for evil operations.
When one person in a family gets saved and has a passion for the Lord, it usually happens that the spiritual burdens of the family become his responsibility. That was the case with Abraham. His father Terah served idols (Joshua 24:2). His environment was so corrupt that God had to instruct him (Abraham) to leave that place.
To me, it appears Abraham was the one leading the way of the Lord in his family because scripture never stated that Lot heard from God. Instead, Abraham was the only one who kept hearing God that he ought to leave his father’s household.
After years of waiting on God for a child, Isaac came when both of his parents were very old. However, before this child came, Abraham had already given birth to Ishmael with Hagar, an Egyptian slave, as his mother (Genesis 16:11-13).
After Sarah bore Isaac, she protested to Abraham to sack Hagar and her son from the house. That happened, even though Abraham was uncomfortable about it.
As the two wandered in the wilderness, the boy suffered and was about to die. The scripture says, “…God heard the boy crying” (Genesis 21:17). It doesn’t say that God saw how distressed Hagar was, seeing her son dying slowly. The question is, why did God do this?
Before that happened, Abraham had already circumcised Ishmael, merging Him to be part of God’s covenant with him. Without this act, God could have watched the boy die. After all, he’s not the child of the promise.
Ishmael, as little as he was, had a connection to the Father’s compassion because of the covenant of circumcision. And because of that, his whole generation got saved from perishing. Today, it’s about at least one person in every family getting connected to the New Covenant by the salvation of Christ.
If you’re the only one saved and diligently serving God in your biological family, then from today, know that you’re a man to stand in the gap, be it male or female. Family tragedies would bypass your family because of you. Don’t treat your spiritual position in your family as a joke, even if they don’t support you enough to do the work of the ministry. May God strengthen you.
You’re a blessing.
Devotional Code: KGD // 2022 – 133
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