My friend was moving his family to a faraway place when their car broke down. As their plans were put on hold, he wondered, why now? Yet, he patiently responded in faith. He posted online, ″I don't know what God is up to, but I suspect it's something good!″

I admire my friend's patience, though it's one thing I won't ask God to teach me. There's only one way to learn patience: being stuck in a rut, spinning our wheels deeper into the mud. Who wants that? But if we're already there, we might as well use the opportunity to grow. Waiting is too annoying to waste.

People who are stuck have a choice. We can lash out, or we can use our frustration to improve our intimacy with God and sensitivity to others. How might we serve them? How might our stuck situations draw us together?

Malachi gets right to the point. It's been some 80 years since Haggai prophesied. The temple was now completed, but it wasn't as glorious as before. The Jews remained stuck in other ways. God hadn't freed them from the power of Persia, harvests were poor, and life continued to be difficult. Where was the glory He promised? Why obey God if He doesn't deliver? Judah gave up on God. (Only the two southern tribes of Judah returned from exile; the 10 northern tribes of Israel were absorbed by their captors and disappeared as a nation.)

So God summons them to court. Malachi contains six speeches against Judah, all aimed at restoring their relationship with Him. God's people may be stuck, but they can leverage their frustration to make spiritual progress. Yes, they're stuck, but they can still move forward.

God's first speech announces His love. ″'I have loved you,' says the Lord.″ But Judah is sceptical. Really? We haven't seen it (Malachi 1:2). God responds (and I paraphrase), ″Here's how I loved you. You are Jacob's children, and I loved him and rejected Esau. I devastated the land of Esau's descendants. If they rebuild, I'll tear it down again. My wrath will always be upon them″ (vv. 2-4).

Now we may think, that doesn't sound like love! It helps to remember the Edomites deserved their destruction. They turned on their brother Israel and fought against God. Whatever judgment they received, they had it coming (see Obadiah 8-14).

God doesn't give anyone less than they deserve, but He does give His children more. Much more. Judah didn't deserve God's patient forgiveness, yet He repeatedly loved and restored them. We don't know why God chose Jacob. The ultimate reason is His will: God chose him because He chose him. If you are God's child, the same is true for you. God loves you because He loves you. Do you doubt it? Look around. How good has God been to you?