“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” – Malachi 4:4-5
God’s final promise in the Old Testament was to send a prophet like Elijah to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. His task would be to turn the nation’s attention back to spiritual matters, toward healthy relationships and repentance for sins. After that promise came… silence from God for nearly 400 years!
Not a prophet. Not a word. Silence. God was still active, but He sent no prophets. Until we turn the page in our Bibles to the book of Matthew and meet John the Baptist. Dressed like Elijah. Confronting the people’s sins like Elijah. Operating in the spirit of Elijah. Calling out the sins of the people. Sparking them to repent. Moving Israel to once again think about spiritual matters. All to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ.
God is faithful. All His promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. But remember that what’s as quick and easy to see as turning the page in your Bible from Malachi to Matthew meant waiting through four centuries of silence. God is faithful but His timing is both perfect and His own. That means we too must be faithful. We must be faithful to live as Jesus commanded until that glorious day when He returns. Faithful to take up our cross daily. Faithful to love God wholeheartedly. Faithful to love all our neighbors as we love ourself. Faithful to make disciples of all nations. #FollowJesus