By Rossaue Hosein

Just the other morning I woke up with a song in my head. The song is called, “Your love is supernatural,” by Royal Taylor. The lyrics are a message of God’s overwhelming love for His chosen people. The word supernatural sums it up well because God’s love is so wide and so deep for us. It’s supernatural.

"...you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:18-19

Shortly after pulling up the song and lyrics on my phone to listen to, I sat down and opened my devotional book and God set me up! The title in my devotional for the day was, 'You love me.' Coincidence? I think not!

The devotional message comes from Malachi 1:1-5, emphasis on verse 1. God tells the people, “I have loved you,” Malachi 1:2.
The book of Malachi was written to the people who returned to their home after 400 years of captivity in Babylon. They returned home and got busy rebuilding the city walls and a temple for worship.

Have you come out of a stormy season of life anxious to get things back to normal; the way things use to be?

The people were weary from the storms of life. Now free from captivity and back home, many were hard-hearted and lost hope. Their relationship with God suffered as a result; it became more like a ritual, than one motivated by love.

How do you rebound from long stormy seasons? Is there something you do that helps you shake off the debris and lean into the loving arms of God in a fresh or deeper way?

We all need encouragement from others when weathering a storm. Malachi was sent by God to the weary people to encourage them; His overarching message to the people was to remember God’s unchanging character—He is love and He loves His people. God is near to the broken-hearted, He sees how you have suffered.

Who has God sent to encourage you with His message of hope?

What did you learn about God during your storm? What in your character has been strengthened or changed as a result of the storm?

Take heart and have hope as you commit to give God your best in everything, knowing the sacrifice of the Lord, His victory over death, and coming back to earth to right what is wrong is your eternal hope.