“And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
‭‭Malachi‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Malachi is an ancient prophet. And sometimes prophecy is impossible to fully understand until it has been fulfilled. Thankfully, a part of his prophecy has already been fulfilled.

In this chapter, Malachi is prophesying about the “great and terrible day of the Lord.” We may think of this as judgment day or something like that. We don’t know when that will happen or exactly what that will be like, but it’s clear that it will be great for some people and terrible for others.

But Malachi also prophesied about something else that would happen before that day. He said that God would send the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day. The prophet Elijah was long gone when Malachi wrote this so what did he mean?

Jesus explained in Matthew 11:14 that John the Baptist was this prophesied Elijah. This is the portion of Malachi’s prophecy that has already been fulfilled.

In today’s verse, the “he” that Malachi is referring to is John the Baptist. John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the Messiah. He also preached repentance and reconciliation. This was part of the preparation.

Relationships are very important to God. The father-son relationship is an example of a relationship that should be very strong and yet is often fraught.

Part of being on the great side and not the terrible side of the day of the Lord is doing everything in my power to heal my relationships. To accept Jesus’s forgiveness, I must also forgive others and humbly ask others for their forgiveness.

It’s important to note that the verse doesn’t say those relationships must be healed and perfect to avoid the coming curse. Just that I need to try. I need to “turn my heart” toward them. I need to humbly examine my part in the brokenness. I need to generously and genuinely offer my love. I need to listen with openness and generosity. And make a change.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for all the relationships in my life that you have generously gifted me with. Forgive me for the damage I have done to them. Guide me today in steps that I can take to “turn my heart” to those I have hurt or been hurt by. Give me wisdom, courage, and humility in this endeavor so that I can joyfully and eagerly anticipate the great part of your great and terrible day.