Today's Verse: Malachi 3:7

Thursday, October 23, 2003

"Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty.
— Malachi 3:7
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Thoughts on Today's Verse...

In times of horror and disaster, people routinely ask, "Where is God in all of this?" In reality, we often leave God at the periphery of our lives and look for him only when we are desperate and have no other options. We make our life messes, rebelling and ignoring his truth, then want him to bail us out. At the same time, as God pours his blessings into our lives, we forget to give thanks for his grace. When things are going well, we seldom say, "Where is God in all of this?" He's right here blessing us! Let's praise him for his goodness! God pleads with us to turn to him and seek after him in good times and in bad. Not only will we find him, he will return to us and walk with us.

My Prayer...

O God, please forgive us for seeking our own way. We confess that we often wander from your ways. Even while the Bible is readily available to us, we often squander the opportunity to hear you speak from your Scriptures. Even as we have so many opportunities to praise and pray to you, you sometimes only hear from us when we have gotten ourselves into insurmountable problems. Father, I confess that I have let my relationship with you slip and have not pursued your presence in my life as much as I could. Please be with me and with us as we seek you and your presence daily! In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

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1 Related Resource by Heartlight

Return!
Illustration of Malachi 3:7
Inspirational illustration of Malachi 3:7 -- Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, declares the LORD Almighty.

Illustration

Illustration of Malachi 3:7 — "Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty.

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About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

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