Malachi

Yesterday a friend showed me the article about the Boy Scouts giving in and allowing homosexual men into their ranks. (Yet one more proof of the world's wickedness.) She was so worried and I could see the fear. I told her that we were to pray. This is our purpose. We are warrior women. There is nothing we can do, but we do have a power greater than the evil in this world, and He has said to bring our concerns to Him, and time and time again we can see that He hears.

Just yesterday John MacArthur was speaking about some people in the Bible who knew God was sending His judgement and they were afraid they would perish. They went to the prophet, and they spoke among themselves, and God heard them and then He created a book of remembrance. Here is the passage from Malachi 3:16-18:

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.

"They shall be Mine," says
the Lord of hosts,
"on the day that I make them my jewels.
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him."

Then you shall again discern
Beteween the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.

Malachi is the last book in the old testament. I found so much wisdom in just this small reading of a few of the verses of His word. Just this morning, while trying to find the passage John MacArthur spoke about, I came across two subjects, that two separate friends of mine were worried about yesterday. The one above about prayer and another section on divorce.

A friend, a father, is feeling helpless because his ex-wife is not taking care of their children and she has custody and there is nothing he can do about it. He's tried going through the courts and going the DFS and time and time again the woman gets off and still has the children. He is sick with worry although he is trying to stand strong.

Malachi 2 speaks of marriage and warns strongly against going into a divorce. It speaks of, well, here is the verse Malachi 2:16:

For the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one's garment with
violence,
Says the Lord of hosts.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously

This is so true. The curse of divorce wounds and wounds and wounds again and again. It doesn't just stop with the couple, or the children of the marriage, but goes into the rest of the family, and even to the friends, and down thru the grandchildren . . .

I had sent out a prayer request for Anthony to a couple of the women of our bible study. Aimee had come down to say that she was praying and she asked for prayer for another lady of our bible study who is contemplating divorce and Aimee told me about how divorce is NOT allowed. I had thought it was allowed because of adultery but she pointed out that Jesus had said that before He died. While He was living He was under the law. Once He died and rose again a new age began - one of grace. I still don't understand what she was saying and I plan to ask more today but I could see where she was going with that train of thought. And then, to see this verse in Malachi. Plus, I know full well the curse of divorce.

My own son has more wisdom than I. I love him. He is in a difficult marriage and he stays. He knows that if he left that more problems would happen. Conversely his wife granted him forgiveness, and yet another chance at redeeming his life, and his childrens, when he had an affair. Mary showed us all, by example, forgiveness and great love. I am proud of them both. They stumble and they fall and they always get back up and grow stronger and wiser.

Michael says that he is not a christian but he is more of a christian than most people I know. I pray to our God that Michael realizes his love for God so that he can show this love to his children and his wife.

My daughter is about to embark on the journey of marriage herself. Lord please bless her marriage and I pray that they raise their children and grow their family under the wings of our Lord.