together with
Happy Monday, {{first_name | everyone}}!
Some nights, I lay my head on the pillow with a sobering realization of just how badly I need a new heart. Fortunately, that’s exactly what God offers us.
This week, we’ll meditate on that promise and what it means for our day-to-day lives.
In today’s email…
📜 The prophet Ezekiel and the message of renewal
🌱 A whole chapter to read, and one thing to start asking God for
🎵 A song to help you memorize and meditate…
✉ subscribe here | 📱 iPhone app
MEMORIZE 🧠
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26
TOGETHER WITH CROSSWAY
Graphic Novel Reimagines John Bunyan’s Beloved Classic
Pilgrim’s Progress has inspired the lives of countless believers for centuries. This winding allegory follows the tumultuous journey of a pilgrim traveling from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Brimming with hope and excitement while demonstrating the inevitable perils along the way, John Bunyan masterfully illustrates the Christian experience, helping readers of all ages understand the path to spiritual formation.
This graphic novel, saturated with bold artwork, meaningful allegory, and timeless language, visually retells John Bunyan’s beloved Pilgrim’s Progress to a brand-new generation of readers.
Through December 31, 2026, get 50% off automatically applied for Pilgrim’s Progress: The Graphic Novel when you sign up for a free Crossway+ account at crossway.org/plus!
CONTEXT 📕
Ezekiel was a priest from a priestly family, set apart to serve God’s people, the Israelites.
But nothing went according to plan…
Suddenly, he was taken from his homeland around 597 BC. And instead of serving in Jerusalem, Ezekiel found himself living among the exiles in a foreign land (Babylon, located in modern-day Iraq) with many questions.
All hope seemed lost.
But God met Ezekiel in Babylon and gave him a new calling.
Not instead of being a priest, but also as a prophet — a special messenger sent with God’s word to His people. Like a royal herald.
And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’
Ezekiel spoke to God’s people when everything they knew and loved had turned to dust before their eyes.
They were exiled from the Promised Land, their homes burned to the ground, and even their temple was destroyed.
Ezekiel’s prophecy showed that the Babylonian exile was no mistake.
God said:
I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go out of his land.’
In other words, the Israelites had turned away from living God’s way.
So their truest deepest need was not to physically return to the Promised Land or the temple.
Their deepest need was for God to cleanse them from sin and give them new hearts.
Like the prodigal son, it was time to return home, wholeheartedly.
And that’s what we’ll be looking at this week as we memorize Ezekiel 36:26.
APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃♂
📖 Read Ezekiel, chapter 36 from start to end.
Underline all the descriptions of dry wastelands or destroyed places
Highlight every time it says ‘Thus says the Lord God’
For whose sake was God making this promise?
After working through the chapter and these prompts, consider a wasteland or deserted place in your own life.
What is one thing that makes you feel hopeless right now? Talk to God about it today.
🙏 Pray
Father, you make all things new. Even the things that feel completely deserted and dry. Please help me to hear your invitation into renewal with all my heart this week. Do a deep work in my heart as I spend time with you in your Word. Amen.
SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵
Enjoy the song we created below to help you memorize the verse of the week!
ANSWER KEY ✅
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26
See you in your inbox tomorrow where we’ll walk through this passage together!
Best,
The Malachi Daily team 🙏
Today’s Contributors
Eljoh is a South African writer, editor, and artist with a Master’s in Practical Theology. She creates resources to help believers of all ages abide in Christ and grow in faith. Explore more free resources and creative tools at Vine Creative Studio.
Kieran is a husband and father of 4 living in NJ. In addition to Malachi Daily, he writes a personal newsletter about the intersection of faith, fatherhood and entrepreneurship.
Try our iPhone app 📱
Want to go even deeper with memorizing Scripture and learning its context?
Our iPhone app, Within allows you to:
Memorize 1 verse every single week and learn its context through daily devotionals you can read (or listen to)
Memorize any verse you want in your favorite bible translation
Store all of your previously memorized verses in one place (and review them regularly with interactive games)
And much more!
What are the differences between Within and Malachi Daily?
Malachi Daily 📧 | Within 📱 | |
|---|---|---|
Type of tool | Email newsletter | iOS mobile app |
Cost | Free | 7-day free trial, then $5.99/mo or $49.99/year |
# of verses | 4 verses per month as a community | 4 verses per month as a community + unlimited for any verse you want |
Who chooses the verse | We choose | We choose AND you can memorize any verse you want, anytime |
Bible translation(s) | ESV | ESV, NIV, NLT, KJV, and NASB |
Reviewing previously memorized verses | You do this on your own | Use the built-in memory bank |
Is the app available on Apple and Android devices?
The app is only available on iPhones right now. We are still deciding what the plan and timeline is for Android and will share updates when we have them. If you have an Android phone, click here to register interest.
Give us feedback 💬
How was today's newsletter?
Spread the Word
