A Famine of God’s Word
Devotional Reading: Amos 8:11-12 NLT
“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.
Today’s verses describe the worst famine of all. Worse than a famine of bread or a thirst for water is the spiritual famine we experience when there is silence from God. We need the Word of God more than we need daily bread or water for our bodies. Without God’s Word, we have no salvation, no hope, no promises to stand on, no truth to cling to, no light to lead us in a world of darkness, lies, and deception.
As followers of Christ, we should be desperate for the Word of God. Gratefully, though, our desperation is different from what we read about in Amos 8. Most of us have access to God’s Word and can open up a Bible. We have 66 books, all of which are inspired by the Spirit of God, so we need to take full advantage of this privilege. We need to feast on it and drink from it, recognizing that it is far more important than anything else in this world.
At the same time, this passage gives us a sobering perspective on the plight of unreached people, that is, people who have little or no access to the gospel. These people are currently experiencing a famine of God’s Word. Many of them don’t even have a full translation of Scripture in their language. They live without light, without the promises from God, without hope in Jesus. This should lead followers of Christ not simply to feast on the Word for themselves but also to pray, give, and go so that the famine of others might, by the grace of God, be turned into a feast.
Prayer and Confession
Lord, we pray that you would make us a people who spread your Word to others. We think of the people around us who don’t know the goodness of your Word. Help us to encourage others with your Word, to give others a copy of your Word, to lead others to know your Word. We pray especially for people around the world who have no access to your Word. We ask for your blessing on all those who are working to translate the Bible in order to relieve the famine of your Word among people groups all around the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Further Reading: Amos 8
