Brett Davis

Lately, I feel like I’m living in the Book of Malachi. Malachi was the last prophet of the Old Testament, speaking to an Israel that had grown so accustomed to its own wickedness that it could scarcely recognize it anymore. The priests dishonored God, the people broke their covenants, and the faithful wondered why the wicked prospered while they suffered. I look at America today and find the parallels increasingly difficult to ignore. Our political leaders betray the people they’ve sworn to serve, our churches bend over backward to accommodate the very sins they’re supposed to condemn, and our society celebrates depravity while treating righteousness as something to be ashamed of. But there’s something about Malachi that I think every Christian struggling with the state of the world needs to remember. For all his warnings about Israel’s corruption, Malachi ended with an extraordinary promise: God would send a messenger to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Himself. And then, for roughly four hundred years, there was silence. Generations lived and died without seeing that promise fulfilled. Israel endured foreign domination and humiliation, while the faithful could only wonder when God would deliver His people. What they couldn’t have known was that God was preparing the greatest act of redemption in human history. When the appointed time arrived, John the Baptist emerged from the wilderness calling Israel to repentance, just as Malachi had foretold. Then came Jesus Christ, not to establish the earthly kingdom so many expected, but to accomplish something infinitely greater. Through His sacrifice on the Cross and His resurrection, Christ conquered sin and death, offering eternal life to all who put their faith in Him. Those generations couldn’t see Bethlehem, Calvary, or the empty tomb. What seemed like centuries of unanswered prayers was leading toward the fulfillment of God’s greatest promise. And I think there’s an important lesson for us in that. We aren’t promised that America will endure forever, that our present troubles will disappear, or that God will deliver the earthly victories we desire. But we ARE promised that He remains sovereign, that His purposes cannot be frustrated by the wickedness of men, and that He works all things for the good of those who love Him. So when you find yourself despairing over the state of our country, remember Malachi. God’s faithfulness isn’t measured by the prosperity of our nation or the righteousness of our leaders, and His purposes don’t cease simply because we cannot comprehend them. Our responsibility is to repent of our sins, remain faithful to His commandments, raise our children to know Him, and stand for what is righteous regardless of what the world thinks of us. Those Israelites couldn’t see what God was preparing through their suffering. But we have something they didn’t. We know what came after Malachi. We know Christ. And if God could bring the salvation of mankind out of a world seemingly lost to wickedness, why should we imagine that the troubles of our own age are beyond His providence? Christ is King. And if God is for us, who can be against us!