Healing

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” ~ Malachi 4:2

Turkish novelist and playwright, Mehmet Murat Ildan once wrote, “Sunrise looks spectacular in the nature; sunrise looks spectacular in the photos; sunrise looks spectacular in our dreams; sunrise looks spectacular in the paintings, because it really is spectacular!” I love the quote because it is so obvious. The writer simply points out what we already know. Watch a sunrise in almost any location and you can find something amazing, something beautiful. Over the ocean, in the mountains, over the city, or in the country, the sunrise brings a splash of color, a feeling of unlimited potential, an awakening to a new day and new opportunities. It is spectacular!

The prophet Malachi points to the sunrise as a moment of healing. The captivity in Babylon is over. The people of Israel have returned home. The temple is built and sacrifices have begun again. It is a moment in time when there is great potential. A moment of choice about how the Jews will walk with God. Will they learn the lessons of captivity? Will they repent and walk with God? Malachi issues a warning that the people are beginning to slip back into old ways. They need a picture for the future, a picture of how God is working in their lives at this very moment. So Malachi points to the sunrise.

For those who will follow God, the sun will rise. Healing is available to all who will come to God. A life of joy, abundance, and belonging are the promises of God. Man does not have to walk as a captive to sin. We do not have to trudge our way through life, hopeless, joyless, and lost. God brings new potential into every moment. He offers grace, relationship, and salvation for any who would surrender to Him. The invitation is there, the path is laid, the Father is ready. Will you walk in the Son?