Malachi 1:1-2 The oracle of the Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, says the Lord. Yet you say, Wherein have You loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? says the Lord: yet I loved Jacob.
The Prophet Malachi received a Word from the Lord in the year 397 B.C. He was the last of the Prophets until John the Baptist. Some 400 years of spiritual silence came over the world. This was a tremendous spiritual dry spell. Why would God stop talking to His people? No one knows why God does anything, but in the Book of Malachi, we find one reason for Him remaining silent for such a long period of time.
Throughout the history of mankind, we find a pattern concerning the gratefulness of God's people. God loves us. He saves, heals, and delivers us from every form of evil, disease, and bondage. We give Him praise, but then, in the same breath, wonder where He is.
The Lord God Almighty will not continue to bless a people who are not grateful for the blessings they have already received. One of the greatest blessings we can receive from the Lord is to hear His Voice. In the Old Testament times, the people heard the audible Voice of the Lord. They easily recognized His Voice because it was unlike any other, and it was familiar to them.
When Malachi received this Word from the Lord, He had just delivered His people out of exile. He had just saved them, and yet they asked, Wherein have You loved us? Obviously, they had very short memories, and their gratitude was short-lived. Perhaps that's why God stopped speaking to them for 400 years.
The moment things didn't go their way, the people of Israel began to doubt God's love and faithfulness. They quickly forgot what the Lord had just done for them and moved on to their next set of complaints.
Many of you reading this may be disgusted with the entitlement mentality of the American people. When they are down and out, our government gives them what they need. Although they may seem grateful for a short time, almost immediately, they have their hand out for more. This is a pattern in American society today that is part of the reason why our country is deep in debt, and most of us find this attitude disgusting. However, is this not exactly how we are with our Heavenly Father?
The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. God wants us to come to Him with our needs and requests, but He also expects us to live our lives in a continuous state of thankfulness. After all, He has provided us with everything we have!
Let us be thankful for what the Lord has already done, and let this be our focus every minute of every day. We have so much to be thankful for and yet, like the spoiled child on Christmas morning, we eagerly open one gift only to quickly cast it aside, asking for the next.
We are God's children. He loves us more than we can imagine. He is able to do for us things that are impossible in this world. He has made us Promises that He keeps. Let us live every day in a continual state of thankfulness to God, who has provided us with countless blessings, the greatest of which is the blessing of Salvation through His Son, Jesus.
The Israelites had a mentality of spiritual entitlement. No matter how much God had already done for them, they felt they were entitled to more. Perhaps it was because of their attitude, God stopped speaking to them through the Prophets for 400 years.
Let us stop complaining and seeking more. Instead, let us be grateful for what God has already done and live our lives in a constant state of thankfulness. To God be the glory forever and ever and for EVERYTHING!
Only God can........turn the tide
With a grateful heart, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
