Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
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 last words of the Old Testament were delivered through the mouth of the Prophet Malachi. He spoke of the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah, coming to His people and the rest of the world, in order to set the world into realignment with its Creator and His priorities. His return will be preceded by a Prophet who carries the anointing of Elijah which will have a particular impact on families.
According to the Prophet Malachi, one of the primary signs of a society that has been realigned and set in the proper order of God, is that you will see the hearts of the Fathers turned to their children and the hearts of the children turned to their fathers. This is a curious thing! Of all the signs of Messiah’s coming, wouldn’t you imagine great wars breaking out between the forces of good and evil. Or rays of a great light beaming down upon the amazed inhabitants of earth from heaven! Or stars falling from heaven and the heavens being “rolled up like a scroll” (Isaiah 34 & Revelation 6). Granted these things are described later in the Book as signs of His 2nd Coming, but His First Coming is marked and highlighted by a somewhat unexpected sign. “The hearts of the Fathers being turned towards their children”.
The effect which the “Born-again-in-the-Spirit” experience has on a man, that is most pronounced in my opinion, is in the way he sees his children. He suddenly becomes aware of what a poor father he had been in the past. I know that was certainly true for me. He is suddenly awash with a love for his children and a connection that is different and more intense than before. Instantly his motivation for success is not about himself. It’s so he can provide a better life for them …to set them up for success. He realizes that one of the greatest and most significant gifts he can give them, is to lead them to Jesus and love and honor their mother. It’s sort of startling to see things the way they really are instead of the way you thought they were. Jesus seems to have that effect on people.
So, Jesus comes through the womb of Mary. No flashes of lightening, roaring seas, or eruptions in the heavenlies. He lives a normal life as the son of a carpenter, and leaves nothing behind but a Cross, a few unlikely Disciples, a handful of healing miracles, and an empty tomb. Oh …and one other thing. Every father that has had an encounter with Him and receives Him into their heart …becomes a real father for the first time in their life. What a strange but wonderful sign. Of all the possible means of validation of a claim of being the Messiah of ancient prophecy, I think this is the coolest one …and the most important one for the survival of a society.
So, here’s to all the fathers out there whose love for their children is the fruit of their spiritual transformation into the image of Christ by and through His Spirit. You are indeed a sign and a wonder ordered by heaven itself. Without you and your love for your families, humanity is doomed. There’s a good chance the one who created us knows that.
Thank you for raising up a generation of young people who know the love of a father. Both earthly and heavenly!
It’s making a difference.
Pastor Guy
