Recently, our family took a trip to visit my parents in a distant state. Our two boys love their “Grams” and “Pa,” so they were excited to see their grandparents. They were also excited to miss a week of school, to travel by aircraft, and because we had tickets for all of the guys in the family to attend a local university football game. As you can imagine, my boys counted the days leading up to the trip, something that was both excruciating and immensely exciting for them.

Throughout the Scriptures, prophets and apostles tell God’s people to watch and wait for the day when He will act (Isaiah 30:18; Lamentations 3:25; Habakkuk 2:3; Galatians 5:5). The prophet Malachi spoke of that day as one of both hope and wrath. When God acts, it’s good news for those in need of rescue and for those who have chosen the side of justice. God’s movement into our world is a terrible promise, however, for those who have chosen the path of rebellion, injustice, and violence.

The prophet Malachi levels grievous words of warning to the abusers: “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all” (Malachi 4:1). But those who cling to God have reason for immense hope: “For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture” (Malachi 4:2).

The day of God’s action is good news because it means that every moment from here to there is under God’s watchful care. One day (God’s day), all who hope in God will know His unending joy.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 23:32-49