prophecy – Page 39 – Be Still…

Amos 7:1-9 – Visions from God

one hand holding a model of earth reaching toward an empty hand with the universe sky displayed in the background

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 6:1-14 – Impending Doom

Read Amos 6:1-14

Do you ever wake up in the morning with a sense of “dread,” like there is some impending doom about to strike? That’s happened to me before, and it is totally unsettling. I often wonder where those thoughts come from. Perhaps I dreamt something horrific that I thankfully can’t remember. Whatever it is, this reading took me back to one of those moments.

How do you deal with impending doom? As a child growing up in the Midwest, I used to hate those news alerts during the summertime warning of a tornado in the area. Even more scary was hearing the sirens, grabbing the cats, and running for shelter in the basement. If you haven’t lived in tornado alley during the late spring into summer, it might be other weather warnings or fire drills at school bringing you fear.

Amos 5:16-27 – Warning, Warning!

Read Amos 5:16-27

Our reading starts with “Therefore.” We know the use of that word connects our reading to what came before. It’s time to heed the warnings. Now we understand why there is such a focus on repenting. That’s the response God expects from us as well as the Israelites.

How many times has something bad happened to you that was totally unexpected? Most of the time we have no way of knowing something bad is about to happen, or we would have changed course. Right? Not necessarily. After all, look at the behavior of the Israelites! They were given warnings by Amos and others that continuing their same behavior would lead to destruction. Because such warnings were preserved in God’s word, we can learn from the Israelites’ mistakes and apply the warnings they were given to our own lives.

Amos 5:1-15 – Simply Repent

Read Amos 5:1-15

man and woman kneeling before a cross with a sun set behind them

I love how Bernhard Anderson’s commentary on Amos states, “Christians should need no special urging to turn to the prophets of ancient Israel.” Don’t we see how Jesus’ own back story is being written in what is happening now to his ancestors. The traditions of Jesus’ day were strongly influenced by what we see happening to Amos and the people surrounding him. Yet, the wisdom being given to Amos from God could just as well be speaking to us. Do you see it, too?

As if they were already dead, in this reading Amos is singing a funeral song to the Israelites who were listening. Can you imagine the lament and feeling of despair the messenger, Amos, was feeling at having to deliver such a message to his people? But he was giving them a way out, a gift that will be left unaccepted.

Amos 3:3-15 – Who is Guilty?

Read Amos 3:3-15

God found Israel so guilty of sinning he said, “My people have forgotten how to do right.” Do you ever look around at your fellow humans and think the same thing? There is certainly a lot happening in our day that is contrary to God’s will and intention for us.

We are all guilty. We are all sinners. Many will be in denial and try to condone their behavior. The Israelites were very good at doing that as we can see. God is calling them out, but are we not guilty, too, of listening to the world and following popular thought? Is even being tolerant of behavior we know to be sinful a sin?