God is serious about relationships. And we see in Malachi 4:4-6 just how serious He is about the pattern of fathers and children, children and fathers. Malachi 4:6 - And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.
The heart here is more than just emotion. Heart - (labe) - inner man, mind, will, heart, seat of courage, understanding.
- Turning of one soul toward another
- Having the courage to do so
- Coming to an understanding
And turning that heart? Sounds like repentance!
While, yes, natural fathers and children should have their hearts turned toward one another, this is talking about a spiritual principle.
This turning must happen lest God “curse” the earth.
God's saying: I CANNOT work with you all unless there is someone first willing to listen to me and do what I say (really catching My heart, not just the letter of the law), then willing teach and instruct, and then someone willing to listen and follow.
It is His heart that He means to pass on all the way down the line, from fathers to children.
Can you relate?
Can we be a father to God's lost children (no doubt the very people around us in our every day lives), with the same care and compassion, concern for their future, desire to see them grow and flourish, as we would for our natural children?
Can we be a child that follows the example of the father (in the Lord) in front of us? Maybe not understanding everything that father does, but showing enough trust and desire to know their heart?
Everyone is someone's child... regardless of age and whether or not they have kids.
In this week's blog:
Share anything that helped you relate. Relate to The Father, your father-in-the-faith, the "children" around you.
What does "turning your heart", "coming to an understanding" mean to you in this context?
Share anything that came alive to you, that touched your heart, that gave you the courage to turn.
