Prayers from Amos

Amos 8:7-14.

The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.

⁸ “Will not the land tremble for this,
    and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
    it will be stirred up and then sink
    like the river of Egypt.

⁹ “In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,

“I will make the sun go down at noon
    and darken the earth in broad daylight.
¹⁰ I will turn your religious festivals into mourning
    and all your singing into weeping.
I will make all of you wear sackcloth
    and shave your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son
    and the end of it like a bitter day.

¹¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
    “when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
    but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
¹² People will stagger from sea to sea
    and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
    but they will not find it.

¹³ “In that day

“the lovely young women and strong young men
    will faint because of thirst.
¹⁴ Those who swear by the sin of Samaria—
    who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’
    or, ‘As surely as the god^[a] of Beersheba lives’—
    they will fall, never to rise again.”

Not easy reading, but we have come to expect that in these words. Not easy to think that God’s word will be hidden, withdrawn from people. Remember God’s words are not being addressed to Gentiles but His own people. To people like us who rest in our church attendance and involvement in programs. This is a clear reminder to each of us to seek God, not successful programs, not numbers. To not rest in the reputation of the church we attend, the leaders who serve us. Let us not take scripture for granted, as something that will always be there whenever we feel like coming to it. Let us be deliberate and intentional in opening up God’s word day by day and sharing with others what God is saying to us.

Father in Heaven, may we never stop seeking our daily bread from You. May we never grow weary of walking the path You have set before us. In Jesus name we pray.