I Have Loved You

The book of Malachi begins with these words from God speaking to you.  Four thousand years of biblical history have occurred at this point.  So many events: the creation of the world, the fall of man the flood, the exile the Exodus, the Kings, the prophets, countless wars, thousands of years of history.  We have reached the culmination of the time before the coming of the Messiah and Israel is about to be plunged into hundreds of years of silence from God.  God’s message is … “I have loved you.”

Why would God make this statement at this point in history?  It’s almost as if he is saying after all we’ve been through together, you and I; after all of it, I just need you to know that I have loved you.

I love that the statement is in the past tense.  I have loved you.  It’s not because he has stopped loving us.  It’s because we as children question our father, and not in a good way.  When things happen, life, circumstances, we tend to say, why God?  Why are you doing this to me?  Why are you allowing this to happen?

When we do that, we have forgotten the first thing, the biggest thing, and we need to be reminded.  God has loved us.  I talk about election a lot, and it’s because election is all through the bible.  Election is here as well.  Before the beginning of the world God loved you, and chose you. 

Think about adoption.  I know a lot of people who have adopted children.  When was the last time someone walked into an orphanage and the child said, you look like a fine person, I chose you to be my father or mother.  Silly right?  No, it’s the other way around.  The father walks into this world and out of all the chaos says, I chose this one to display my glory through.  Not because he’s in any way special, or deserving of this blessing but simply because.

Now this situation ought to make me the most grateful person in the world, knowing I deserved nothing but hell and yet was given everything.  But throughout history the response has not usually been one of thanksgiving and devotion.  It’s been one of cluelessness and complaint.  God, why did you do this to me?

As a parent there’s nothing that annoys me more than when my kids are ungrateful and / or bratty.  The reason is because I know how lucky they are to live the way they do.  To have the luxury of their biggest worry being how long they get to play the video game every day.  So when they are ungrateful it really bothers me.  I feel like I need to make them see differently.  I find that hard to do.

Imagine what it must be like to be God and to have to listen to his chosen ones complain…about everything…all the time. Imagine the frustration to be God and to have provided EVERYTHING, and to listen to the object of your grace berate you for their circumstances.  I don’t want to belittle people’s troubles.  Some people have real problems and the bible says we can come to God with these but how we come is important don’t you think?

One person in my small group challenged us all to abstain from complaining for a period of time.  I’m unexcited about this as complaint is like breathing for me.  It’s cathartic.  It’s part of me.  It’s wrong.  So this is me not complaining on day 1.  I’m skeptical.

I wonder how this verse, Malachi 1:2 might apply to you?

God I can’t hear you?     “I have loved you”

God why did this happen?           “I have loved you”

Why are things so hard?               “I have loved you”

God has loved you.  God loves you.  God will love you.  Today I will try to love Him back just enough to not complain.