“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” — Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)
At first glance, this verse sounds like a divine transaction. “If you give, God will bless you.” And it’s easy to read it that way, because much of life operates on transactions.
In business, we exchange money for products or services and expect value in return. At work, we give time and energy in exchange for a paycheck. Even in marriage, love can subtly become transactional—“I’ll be kind if you are,” or “I’ll show affection if you meet my needs.” The world is filled with transactional doing! "If you do this, then I'll do that!" These exchanges keep the world turning, but they cannot sustain love—and they were never meant to define our relationship with God.
Without realizing it, many Christians bring that same transactional mindset into their walk with God. We pray, give, and obey—hoping that if we do our part, God will quickly do His. It sounds spiritual, but it’s a subtle distortion of faith. When life doesn’t unfold the way we expected, disappointment sets in. We start to question: “Did I not do enough?" "Did I do something wrong?" "Has God forgotten me?” "Is this even all real?"
But Malachi 3:10 isn’t a formula—it’s an invitation to trust. Because of their transactional thinking, the people of Israel had stopped tithing to God. They did because they no longer trusted God to provide. Through the prophet Malachi, God wasn’t offering a financial transaction; He was calling them back to a relationship of faith. “Test Me now in this,” He said—not to challenge His generosity, but to restore their confidence in His faithfulness.
That’s the heart of God. His blessings don’t come as payments for our performance, but as the overflow of His covenant love. Obedience is never a transaction—it’s an act of faith through trust. It positions us in the flow of His goodness, even when circumstances don’t immediately reflect it.
Joshua and Caleb modeled that kind of faith. When Moses sent twelve men to spy out the Promised Land, all twelve saw the same giants and fortified cities. But only Joshua and Caleb saw something greater—they saw the faithfulness of God. The other ten spies spread fear, declaring that Israel could never conquer such enemies. Joshua and Caleb, however, tried to calm the people, saying, “The Lord will bring us into this land and give it to us. Only do not rebel against Him!” (Numbers 14:8–9).
But the people refused to believe. Their unbelief grieved God so deeply that He declared that none of that generation, except Joshua and Caleb, would enter the Promised Land. Even though Joshua and Caleb had obeyed God and kept their hearts full of faith, they still had to wait forty long years before seeing His promise fulfilled.
Imagine that—forty years of waiting for something they had already believed for and acted in faith for. They were delayed to the promise land for 40 years because of the unbelief of others! But during those years, they never gave up. They didn’t become bitter or cynical. They didn’t accuse God of being unfair or slow. They simply trusted Him. Their faith wasn’t transactional—“We obeyed, so where’s our reward?” It was relational—“We trust God because He is faithful, whether we see results yet or not.” They new that God would continue to use them mightily regardless and they lived serving Him for the right reasons, not the wrong.
When they finally entered the Promised Land, it wasn’t because they had done everything perfectly, but because they had trusted perfectly. Their relationship with God had sustained them through every delay, every disappointment, and every test.
That’s the kind of faith God is looking for today—a faith that isn’t shaken when life doesn’t go as planned. Faith that believes God’s goodness even in the waiting. Faith that sees obedience as an expression of love and trust, not a spiritual transaction.
And so... If you’ve been walking in faith and obedience and still haven’t seen the breakthrough you’ve prayed for, don’t lose heart. Keep believing. God is faithful, and His promises are sure. He absolutely loves you and has your best in mind. In your faith in that truth and your trust in Him will lead you to God's best and plan for you! What looks delayed is not denied—it’s being prepared in ways you can’t yet see. Keep your heart anchored in trust, not transaction. Keep loving, serving, giving, and believing—because in due time, the God who cannot lie will fulfill what He has spoken. Stay steady, stay thankful, and stay in faith. Your promised land is ahead.
