September 2

But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall. — Mal 4:2 BSB

Oh, what a mercy it is for the Church of Christ that the God and Father of the Lord Jesus did not leave her to perish in her sins, but provided her with a Savior, a mighty Redeemer, who continually gives hope to every poor, self-condemned sinner!

The very things that trouble your mind, dear afflicted soul, are the very things that make such a Savior perfectly suited to you. Are you in darkness? This makes the Sun of Righteousness exactly what you need to bring light. Are you cold? This makes the warmth of the Sun so necessary to revive you. Are you downcast and discouraged? You need the Sun to lift your spirit. Are you barren and fruitless, lamenting that you bring no fruit to God's glory? You need the Sun to nourish and restore you. Do you sometimes feel spiritually dead, with no desire to pray, meditate, or read the Scriptures? You need the Sun to awaken you and renew your strength.

These very trials and temptations are what make you feel your desperate need for the Lord Jesus, the very Sun that David spoke of in Psalm 84:11. But what about those who never experience these soul troubles? What is Jesus to those who have never known the depths of their own sinfulness? What value do they place on His blood and righteousness? It is the sharp trials, the many afflictions, and the overwhelming temptations that make the soul truly value the Lord Jesus.