This is our story. We have been loved by God. Even when we doubted and questioned His love, He remained steadfast. He chose us, not because of our worthiness, but because of His great mercy. Like the Israelites in Malachi, we may face trials and hardships, but we must remember that God is with us. He has promised to rebuild our lives and restore our hope. Just as the Israelites saw the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecies in the coming of Jesus, we too can look forward to a future filled with joy and peace. Let us open our hearts to God's love and trust in His promises.
It is common to wonder about God’s apparent absence amidst tragedy, hardship, and atrocities across the globe...why evil people seem to prosper and go unpunished. We must remember, however, God's perspective and understanding infinitely more complete than ours, and while we are often very quick to focus on the evil around us that requires judgment, we are less apt to want judgement on the sin inside our own hearts. God mercifully delays His judgement and graciously blesses in the meantime, but we must be careful to not mistake the delays and the blessings as approval of sin...ours or the world's. Make no mistake, God's judgment will fall upon all of the evil in this world, in each of our hearts, and it is only by being washed clean in the cleansing, sacrificial blood of Jesus that we may be found holy and righteous in God's sight.
