Ready, Set, . . . ACTION!
…Return unto me, and I will return unto you.
Malachi 3:7
Have you ever asked, ‘God, where are you?’ or ‘Why is God so far away?’ These questions are common regardless of how long you have been a Christian. Well, in Malachi 2:17, Israel asked the same question: “Where is the God of Judgement?” They didn’t see God working in their lives or in their favor. At the time Malachi was written, Israel may have finally returned from captivity to Jerusalem, but Israel was still under the thumb of a gentile king. Their promised Messiah and His great kingdom are still nowhere to be found.
Malachi tells us that although Israel is asking for God to be more present in their lives, they are not obeying God. We learned in the first 2 chapters that the priests were offering dishonorable sacrifices, had broken their covenant with God, and were allowing men to divorce their Jewish wives to marry heathen women. For this reason, God promises Israel that the Messiah will come to judge everyone INCLUDING Israel. It is only after judgement that the righteous of Israel will stand to offer pleasing sacrifices to God.
Despite His pledge to judge Israel, God reminds Israel that He is unchanging and faithful to His every Word. He will not destroy His people but instead offers this promise: Return unto me, and I will return unto you (Malachi 3:7).
The Covenant
In Genesis 12:2-3, God issued a promise to Abraham, saying, “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Later, in Genesis 15:5, God promised Abraham that he would have a son, despite his and Sarah’s old age. This son would produce a large nation one day (Israel). Genesis 15:6 says, “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” God provided additional similar and even more detailed promises to Isaac, Jacob, David and other patriarchs and prophets throughout the Old Testament.
These promises to Israel in no way provided an excuse for them to rebel against God. In fact, the covenants were conditional. For example, before the promise of Genesis 12:2-3 quoted above, God required that Abraham leave his family and go to a new land. Abraham obeyed (see Genesis 12:1,4). In Genesis 15:6, God tells us that his faith in God’s promise of a child who would father a large nation was considered righteousness. Abraham’s position as a patriarch of Israel was not based on his works of the law or his genealogy, but his obedience and faith. The same is true of the new covenant and the church.
There are 2 sides to a covenant: God’s side and our side. Both sides are to keep the promises made. You see, it isn’t God that left or broke the covenant, it’s us. When we don’t see God present in our lives or feel His blessings, it’s because we have broken the covenant. We can repent of our sin and return to God at any time. When we do that, we restore the covenant with God, are holy through the power of the Holy Spirit, and can once again commune with God. God never forsook us. God never left us to sink in judgement. God never broke His covenant with us.
Do you feel like God is far away? That’s because YOU have drifted away. Check your life and heart. If you are honest with yourself, you have pulled away from God. Restore your relationship with Him, and you will find God present again in your life.
Restoration
So, how do we return to God? How can we restore the covenant with God?
One of the beautiful aspects of this passage in Malachi is God’s willingness to forgive and take Israel back! He is waiting patiently for us to return to Him. If you have gotten to this part of the process, the part where you want to return to God, you are faring much better than most people. Most get stuck on feeling like God has abandoned them and never look inward at themselves! They are waiting for God to return with His tail between his legs as if HE did something wrong.
In Malachi, when the people ask how they can return to fellowship with God, God tells them to obey (Malachi 3:7). Remember, obedience was a key factor in Abraham and the other patriarch’s participation in the covenant with God. Well, that isn’t just an Old Testament thing. The requirement of obedience (which requires faith) is in the New Testament as well. Here is just one of the many examples:
Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
James 4:8
James tells us that to return to God, we need to be holy once again. Notice that the purification is not just on the outside (our actions) but also on the inside (our faith). James calls us sinners and double minded. This means that we must choose one or the other: God or disobedience. We can’t be close to God but also disobey Him. We need to move. We need to act.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
I love this verse because it provides imagery to the scenario in Malachi. God is there waiting for us. He isn’t just waiting quietly either: He’s knocking trying to get our attention. He wants us to return to Him. We must first hear his voice (recognize who He is) and second OPEN THE DOOR. The second step is the action that we need to put in. It isn’t enough just to recognize who Jesus is, even Satan does that. We must let him in and commune with Him. To do that, we must act! We must return to Him. Jesus wants to be in our lives, but are you letting Him in? Or are you locking Him out?
Next time you are tempted to wonder where God is or why He isn’t doing anything in your life, examine yourself. Are you obeying Him? Are you cleansed by the blood and empowered to holiness by the Holy Spirit so that God can come in and commune with you? God is there patiently knocking. Open the door. Act now. Return to God.