Have you ever had a vision from God? I’ve had friends describe in detail dreams they have had, confident the message is from God. Personally, I remember the night when I heard a voice in my head plainly say, “you’re going to write for me!” I knew it was God. I was already blogging every day, but God seemed to want more. It wasn’t long after that we published the first volume in the Devotions on the Go! series.
When God uses you, it feels so good. It’s like you forget who you are for a bit and remember “whose” you are. Such an honor; the greatest honor! What do you think Amos was feeling when he had these visions from God?
Amos was bold when he let God know how he felt about what he had seen. He pled on behalf of his people but did so with reverence. “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.” Locusts and fire do not sound like good ways to die. I’m confident Amos was wondering if he and his loved ones would suffer the same fate. I know I would be hoping God would spare me in that situation.
We see that God can change his mind. We’ve seen that before in 2 Kings 20 with King Hezekiah’s death. The outcome for the Israelites was still destruction in our current situation, but Amos’ cries did not go unnoticed. That’s an important observation we shouldn’t overlook. Amos was bold in telling God how he felt. When is the last time you cried out to God with that sort of passion?
God has a way of using us when we least expect it. I’m preparing to teach teenage Mexican girls about the book of Ephesians tomorrow. My friend that runs our neighborhood orphanage is on a fundraising trip and days ago asked me to cover in her absence. I’ve always worked with children, not teens. Children are a lot more “forgiving,” and when I struggle with my Spanish I think they even giggle when I’m looking the other way. But teens are a different story.
I’m not worried because I know God also equips those he recruits. I do have hours yet to prepare, but God has also given me an excitement and thrill about the opportunity. I think Amos must have been feeling that, too. Even if Amos was used to tending to his sheep, living a simple life harvesting fruit from his trees. Now he was stepping out in faith as God’s messenger.
We are all God’s messengers these days, aren’t we? Jesus gave us that job years ago. How many of us are ready to step out boldly for our faith? How are you sharing God’s message today? This week? This month? I’d love to hear how God is using you so that I can be praying for your ministry, too. If you haven’t already done so, visit my Facebook group and ask to join. Once in the group, start a faith conversation. Let us know about how you are stepping out boldly with the message of Christ. Find a post to comment on! Let’s connect.
Click this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReflectionsDevo
Let’s pray. Lord, I thank you for how you used Amos to give us a great example of bold faith. I don’t ever want to hold back from letting you know how I feel. Help me to always do my ranting with the utmost reverence. I feel like there is a huge opportunity right now to help people find you. Equip me, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
