Lenten Reflection for March 21st

The Book of Malachi is the final book of the Old Testament, in it, the Lord says to His people,

“See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1) He promises them another messenger, another prophet will come to them.

The people didn’t know how long they would have to wait for the messenger. Weeks? Months? Years? 

The time between the book of Malachi and the appearance of the messenger, John the Baptist, was around 400 years! God was asking for His people, His children, to have a great deal of patience while they watched and waited for this foretold messenger.

Sadly over the centuries many of the people didn’t continue to follow God’s Laws and statutes. They went astray and disobeyed His commandments rather than remaining faithful. They didn’t have the patience to wait for what was promised. 

When we are in the midst of a time of waiting, it can be difficult to keep our eyes focused on the Lord, to keep our heart from wavering when it feels like we might never receive an answer or sign. There is a Proverb that says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) God knows and understands our struggles to be patient and when we are trying to grasp at any hope for answers, He wants us to reach for Him! Through the Holy Spirit’s Gift of Piety, we can grow in love and devotion to the Lord and realise he is closer than an arm's reach away from us. By hedging ourselves closer to Him, we will find the strength to be patient for whatever His plans are for us. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope…” (Psalm 130:5) 

For our younger brothers and sisters in Christ:

What’s the longest you can remember having to wait for something, an allowance, the grades from a test, a book or game release? Did you have to wait a week? A month? A year? Can you imagine having to wait for a hundred years… or more?

In the Old Testament of the Bible, through the Prophet Malachi, God promised His people that He would be sending another prophet to them to speak to them. A messenger to prepare His way. He didn’t say how long they would have to wait though.

His people waited and waited, they were waiting for about 400 years before the messenger came. Through the 400 years, God’s people became impatient. They stopped following God’s Laws and disobeyed his commandments. They were tired of waiting. But one day the messenger God promised them arrived, it was John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for Jesus.

Sometimes it will feel like we are waiting forever for answers to prayers, it’s when we get impatient that God wants to draw us closer and have faith in Him.

When we feel like that, let’s try to remember this Psalm from the Bible, “I wait for the Lord to help me. I trust his word.” (Psalm 130:5 ICB)

God bless you!