“They will come with weeping [in repentance and for joy], and by [their] prayer I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of water, on a straight path in which they will not stumble, for I am a Father to Israel and Ephraim is My firstborn”. (Jeremiah 31:9; AMP. Bible)

Ever since our children came into our lives, they taught and guided us closer to God’s Fatherly heart, because in their dependence on us, they identified the resolve of their needs by calling us by name: “mom”, “dad” . Daily. Where is dad? When is dad taking me to practice? When is mom coming home? “Dad is good at math”; or “Dad is teaching me soccer”…and the list can continue with both parents being involved..

When I was reading the book of Jeremiah years ago, I was struck by the Father-like heart and compassion of our God to His children, the people of Israel. In the verse cited above, I felt with “the eyes of my heart “the vulnerability God revealed then. In previous chapters He warned them about the imminent punishment, disaster, exile, scorn and even death, but here He speaks to them about comfort, relief, and consolation, not a message this idol worshiping nation deserved at that time. My tears could not be contained as I grasped the depth of His lovingkindness.

In His justice, He writes in black ink the Babylonian siege, the seventy years of captivity, the devastation that would befall the temple and subsequently its priests, the inhabitants who rely on the false assurance that being children of Abraham would preserve their lives. At the end though, we read and are left in awe of His unimaginable love and unexpected grace of an ever so faithful a Father, who declares, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer31:3).  

Why was God the Father so upset with His children? Although written to post-exilic Israel, the book of Malachi highlights the same condemning sins we saw in Jeremiah—they lost their reverence for Him, offering sacrifices of animals that were lost, stolen, or lame. Yet, His love endures,despite the immediate punishment. It is for their own good and their ultimate salvation. God is always seeking His children’s hearts, for we are not unwanted children, as A.W.Tozer said. God will always desire our hearts to be pure, attached and surrendered to Him. That’s why He reminds us in the book of Mark that we must become like little children—not in maturity level, stages of development, temper tantrums, or silly schemes, but in faith and complete surrender to Him. This is where, I believe, we become more aware of His Father’s heart. And the awareness won’t stop there; It is this abiding that will move us forward to willing obey His principles,aligning our steps with His path rather then our own, embracing His truth,over the world’s.

REFLECTION .. as you read Malachi 1:6-14, stay before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to you His Heart as a Father, and point to you anything that strains that relationship, like He did to those in Israel long time ago.. Is it the lack of reverence, a lame or stolen offering; or is it the ring of apathy in your worship that severed the relationship with your heavenly Father?

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me”. (John 15:4)