Today we’ll begin to study Malachi chapter 4. We’ll look for what to appreciate, avoid, appropriate and anticipate. Verses 1-2 declare God’s plan: “Surely the day is coming!...For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”
You might feel like you’re caged in very difficult circumstances, wondering if you’ll ever get out into the sun to enjoy the delight of freedom. God says you will if you revere His name. You’ll leap for joy like calves released from the stall. Does that “picture promise” lift your spirits?
Do you appreciate what God has in store for you in His appointed time? Remember, He writes the last chapter! He’ll send a prophet, like Elijah, to herald the approaching day. Don’t wait to prepare.
This prophet’s mission is to “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” Family relations will be restored. They’ll delight in spending time together. Health and healing will be the order of the day.
If you appreciate this “picture promise,” why not work at these relationships now? In Ephesians 6:1-5 and Colossians 3:20-21 Paul instructs us on how to build healthy family relationships. Ask God to help you incorporate them and make them a growing part of your family life.
