Good morning from Malawi.

It’s a blessing for me to share what is happening here in Malawi with you but also encourage you from the Word of God.

Life here in Malawi is not the same. We are experiencing some restrictions due to coronavirus. Like in terms of social gathering, we are supposed to have gatherings of up to 100 people and also observe social distancing.

We also have restrictions in terms of schools. Schools have been closed and children are at home, wondering when they are going back to school.

There are restrictions in terms of markets and access to goods and services that we used to enjoy in the past.

In terms of the work that we are doing in Mzimba and elsewhere here in Malawi as World Relief, there are challenges especially because people in rural areas do not have the right information and facts about coronavirus and how to prevent it. And so we have developed messages to pass to pastors and volunteers who will in turn deliver these messages around prevention of coronavirus and how it is transmitted and how to prevent it. And that’s the work that we are doing right now.

I just want to encourage you with the Word of God from Psalm 63 verse 1 to 4.

And I will read:

¹You are my God. I worship you.
    In my heart, I long for you,
    as I would long for a stream
    in a scorching desert.

² I have seen your power
and your glory
    in the place of worship.
³ Your love means more
than life to me,
    and I praise you.
⁴ As long as I live,
    I will pray to you.

I would like us to take our devotional especially with a focus on verse 3 where David is saying “Your love means more than life to me, and I praise You”.

As we look at the life we are living, it’s very precious but David is saying that the life that we see as very precious is not as previous as the love of God.

Indeed as we think about life, especially as we are living in Christ, it is so wonderful. We experience God’s love through the things that we have or do enjoy, like the air we breathe, the beautiful sceneries that we see, through the sunshine we enjoy, even through the healing power, the comfort that we get from God and the shoulder to lean on during the difficult circumstances that we face like the one we are observing right now.

The love of God is shown to us through the assurances that He gives us that we are His and that He is there with us every time we experience Him.

To know that God is there to satisfy all our needs even when we don’t have our needs materially as we need in everyday life.

God’s love is dearer than life. Life is shared with animals and trees but God’s love is eternal. Life will cease but God’s love is everlasting. Life can have restrictions like lockdowns and stay away or stay at home, but God’s love goes beyond borders and lockdowns. It goes beyond the restrictions we have in life. And to think about that is a very striking thing.

What do we do to respond to this love of God that is greater than life?

One of the things that we have to do is to love back. John 14 verse 15 Jesus says that if we love me, keep my commandments. One of the things we have to do is to obey God and keep His commandments.

The other thing that we have to do, even in these difficult circumstances is to love others. To extend that love to the people around us, to send that email message, that text message, to make that phone call, to just be there with the people that are suffering or need the love, comfort and encouragement. As we are thinking about extending the love to others, we can think about the people that are here, near and far away from us.

May we be encouraged that God’s love is greater that life but we have to love back and show our love to God and extend this love to others around us.