“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall”(Malachi 4:2).
TEXT — Malachi 4:1-6
The story of Viktor Frankl, a Jewish survivor of holocaust, is a testimony of the transformative power of hope in overcoming adversity and achieving great things in spite of oppressive and negative circumstances. Viktor, his wife and his parents were arrested in 1942 and deported to concentration camps. His parents were killed in the gas chambers, while Viktor and his wife were separated and sent to different camps. Despite the unimaginable suffering, he found hope amid despair. He went on to develop logo-therapy, which focused on finding meaning and purpose in life. He believed that in the most challenging and painful circumstances, one can find meaning and purpose and thereby develop a powerful resilience for survival.
God gives this power of hope to the righteous who lived among the proud and the wicked in Israel. In this last prophetic utterance recorded in the Old Testament, God declares that there is a coming day of devastating judgment upon all the arrogant, wicked and sinful people of the land. Those who live in pride and wickedness, carrying on as though there was no one to question them, would face terrible judgment on the coming day of the Lord. But for those who choose to live in righteousness and the fear of the Lord in spite of prevailing and pervading sinfulness and wickedness, God gives a promise of divine visitation and preservation. The Sun of righteousness would rise for them and cause them to triumph over the wicked who hither to had oppressed and harassed them. This promise serves as a hope booster, giving them the strength to remain resilient and forge on in spite of temporal adversity.
Just as the Lord spoke of the coming day of judgment on sinful and backslidden Israel, He has equally spoken of the coming day of judgment on this world that has totally forgotten God. Sinners who have turned their back on God and have chosen to indulge in all forms of sins and abominations will face the judgment of God. But for the believer, the promise of the impending return of the Lord to take the believers away from divine wrath is a great source of hope. This hope is a source of encouragement to the believer to continue to live righteously in a world where holy living has become increasingly unpopular .
In the face of the discouraging situation in the world, the believer has something to look forward to, for survival. The believers’ hope is not only in the rapture. There is hope for the present day. Whatever the situation believers face, the Lord has promised to show up in their lives as “the Sun of righteousness with healing in his wings.”
Thought for the day
Those who put their trust in Christ have a hope that is as constant as the northern star.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
