By Pastor Dave Stimers
Have you ever felt that you really needed to get something off of your chest? Maybe it was a secret, maybe a feeling or even a thought that you just couldn’t keep to yourself. Sometimes we say that these sorts of things “weigh” on us. We can even find ourselves feeling physically burdened, as we carry extra stress on our bodies because of what is going on inside of us. This type of feeling can arise because we are anxious, scared, worried, or because we’re excited, happy – even joyful. Whatever the cause, I think that we feel the weight of certain information because it is a big deal to us. Things that are meaningful, profound, impacting; or things that will have a direct effect on our lives can often bring with it a certain weight – an importance.
On the other hand, our society has made communication so instant and easy that we often send people messages without thinking or for almost any reason, no matter how insignificant. We are surrounded with tools to do this. We have email, voicemail, text messaging, instant messaging, twitter, facebook – and on and on the list goes. With this capacity for messaging we may sometimes find it hard to sift through the superficial stuff to get to the important stuff. Regardless of the countless flippant messages, when it comes down to it, it’s usually pretty easy to tell when someone you care about has something important to tell you. Sometimes that discussion may begin with a phrase like, “something has been weighing on my mind and we have to talk…”
Interestingly this is a characteristic that we share with God. The book of Malachi (at the end of the bible’s Old Testament) begins by calling itself an oracle. Actually, this word is the same word used of a heavy load carried by a camel. It’s something that is weighty, something important. This is something that God has to get off of His chest, and it isn’t a quick email or text message. It is going to impact the lives of those who get the message. What a great way to get someone’s attention.
I would like to invite you to sift through some of the junk mail and spam in your life as we journey together through the book of Malachi. God has a powerful message for His people and He has reached out for our attention. So please, join us on Sunday mornings at 11am or listen online as we search through this profound book and try to understand God’s heart and His message.
