God who had planned our lives before the foundation of the world, designed specific people to be placed across our path and if we look around us we would find them- family members, friends, colleagues at work, pastors, mentor figures and neighbors who have become positive influences on our lives. They stand out of the crowd and love us extra or we love them extra. The Spirit of God highlights them among many others and something about them is simply different. God positioned Mary and Elizabeth in the same family for a purpose.

 

Revelation is another key factor. Only by the revelation of God did Mary know Elizabeth was pregnant supernaturally. God reveals such people to us by revelation. He allows us to know things about them that we cannot know by any human means. Elizabeth had hidden herself out the shame of being pregnant in old age and none of her relatives knew she was pregnant. I remember becoming not just a sounding board to my pastor but a witness of what God was saying on a few occasions. Primarily called to travel the world as an Apostolic teacher, he had no plans to start a church and be stationary as a pastor. I began to sense God calling him to start one as he began to sense the same. As soon as we both confirmed the sense of direction, we began to pray about the name and got the same name for the church. While he did not ask for my witness on that, I was excited when he voiced out the same name, which was ‘Rhema Chapel’. It was amazing how Elizabeth would call Mary who was a teenager, ‘The mother of my Lord’ when she arrived her house. How did she know? Only by revelation.

 

On arrival in Elizabeth’s house, there was a mutual embrace between the women. If it is a divine relationship, it will not be a one way traffic. There will be mutuality to the love, affection, interest and conviction. Many of us pursue relationships with people who do not want us, approve of us nor accept us. If it is divine, God will work in both parties both to will and to do of His good pleasure. The two parties will embrace the same cause, the same purpose and the same interest in one another. Paul loved Timothy as the young man loved him. Elisha was as interested as Elijah was in their connection. Joshua pursued hard after Moses as much as Moses opened up access to him. Even if Saul would later turn against David in the flesh, he initially loved him and appointed him to serve in the palace.

 

There was also an impartation of the Spirit upon Elizabeth when Mary arrived. The baby in her womb leapt. If the relationship is of God, it will cause your dreams to leap within you. Something about the voice of that mentor will encourage you, boost your faith, enhance your self belief and impart some of the anointing they carry upon their lives. As Elizabeth received a fresh impartation through the visit of Mary, the prophecies proceeding from her confirmed the Word of God to Mary and encouraged her. God yoked me with a friend over 20 years ago at a time I was at a low ebb in ministry. Mere meetings between us or phone calls would result in tremendous impartation of God’s Grace. We ended up affecting each other positively in that season of our lives.

 

The above reasons are why beyond explanation some people just seem to stand out in our lives and affairs. Such recognition requires our cooperation for maximum benefit. I cannot therefore trivialize certain relationships in my lives because of how intertwined our trajectories have become. God definitely brought us together for kingdom purposes and we must remain in connection for such purposes. Some relationships may not be as relevant in current or future seasons, but for the impact that they have made already, they are supposed to be continually honored because with such recognition, God is pleased. As it is with earthly parent/children relationships, the dynamics do change with time. A pastor may be meeting the temporal needs of a member only for that dynamic to change in the future. A young pastor may be learning all he can from a mentor, only for God to bless him so much the mentor learns from him later. We must change with the seasons and yet continue to value one another. Bishop TD Jakes and Bishop Sherman Watkins are excellent examples for us.

Divine relationships cannot be forced and no one should manipulate or scheme to make them happen. God yokes people together. Ours is to obey when we are led to reach out to people. However, where we find resistance and rejection, we should move on with our lives. No relationship should be exalted to the indispensable place of God in our lives. Ultimately, where divine relationships fail to play their role, God has enough options to get us to our destinies. We are all privileged to have one another positioned to help one another succeed. I will explore some of our responsibilities to such relationships next week.