But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.
Malachi 4:2 (NIV)

My vocational career has been spent surveying customers for various clients around the world. One of the fascinating trends I’ve seen over the years is how customer expectations have changed since the advent of the internet age and the proliferation of cell phones. In the wake of Big Tech, time-related dimensions of service have become bigger drivers of customer satisfaction. In general, we are more impatient. We want faster answers. We don’t like to wait.

Wendy and I often muse how much we appreciate having information at our fingertips. We’ve kind of become Jeopardy! geeks and sometimes the answers prompt more questions about things we didn’t know. The other night, Wendy didn’t have her phone next to her as we were watching, so she simply lifted her Apple watch to mouth and asked Siri a question. Her watch immediately and audibly provided her with the trivial answer.

“Did you see what I just did?” she marveled at me.

Instant answers. Immediate gratification. Endless distraction.

Welcome to the 21st century.

For a disciple of Jesus, this trend represents a tremendous challenge. The spiritual journey as a follower of Jesus is fraught with waiting. Spiritual growth is an organic process that requires time for roots to dig deep in the Spirit, for growth to take place, and for fruit to emerge. Faith is “the assurance of what we hope for” which, by its very nature, means it’s out there and I have yet to fully take hold of it but believe with hope that I will. Paul put it this way in his letter to the followers of Jesus in Phillipi:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Press on. Persevere. Reach. Strain. Those are the elements of the Spirit journey. It becomes an even greater challenge in an age when the expectation and normal human experience is immediate information and satisfaction right from your wristwatch.

One of the most fascinating things about the prophetic works of Malachi is its placement in the great story. Malachi was the last of the ancient prophets. His book was placed at the end of the prophets. Malachi was prophesying around 430 B.C. The next book in the Great Story is Matthew‘s biography of Jesus four hundred years later.

Today’s brief chapter is a set-up to the wait that is coming.

Revere my name. Remember the Law of Moses. Watch for Elijah.

A big Day is coming.

Wait for it.

In the quiet this morning, I spent some time looking back at my own spiritual journey. There have been so many time when I had to wait for promises to be fulfilled, prayers to be answered, and waypoints on the journey to be reached. The waiting, in turn, required praying, keeping the faith, hoping, pressing on, and developing patience. And, that’s the point. God’s goal for me is spiritual maturity, and that never happens in an instant.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.