Malachi: Our Heavenly Father Loves Us

Our May theme for the Today devotions, written by Rev. Scott DeVries, is “Malachi: Our Heavenly Father Loves Us.”

Most Sunday school children know and love the song “Jesus Loves Me.” I learned it when I was very young. Maybe it’s part of your childhood memories as well.

            Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.

            Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.

            Yes, Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me—the Bible tells me so.

This song is known mainly as a children’s song, but its significance is real for all of us. In fact, it is said that theologian Karl Barth, when asked if he could summarize his whole life’s work in theology in a sentence, he allegedly said something like “Yes, I can. In the words of a song I learned at my mother’s knee: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’”

Malachi, a minor prophet of the Old Testament, echoes those same thoughts. The prophet lived in a time when the Jewish people had returned from captivity to their homeland. But all was not well. The prophet rebuked them for many ways in which they failed to follow God. But in the midst of all the negative words, he continually reminded them of God’s faithfulness to them. We can summarize his message simply: “I am your Father, and I love you!”

That’s a very important reminder for us today too. Scott DeVries brings us through thick and thin in this little book. He shows us how God demands obedience from his children, but he also continually reminds us that God loves us!

Scott DeVries serves as a ministry coordinator for several churches in the Holland, Michigan area. If you want to hear more of Rev. DeVries’ thoughts as he wrote these devotions, please listen to this audio interview.