Daily Devotional For Thursday, March 20, 2025
Good morning Southside. I cannot believe it is already Thursday. Whew! This week is flying by fast. Today we go all the way back into the Old Testament for our devotional to a little known and rarely read prophet named Amos. He was not what we might be called a “court prophet” or a “palace prophet.” Amos was a country farmer that God used. The message of Amos is dated to the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah (c. 791/783–742/740 BC) and Jeroboam II, king of Israel (793/786–753/746 BC). Unlike many polished prophets, he was direct and held nothing back.
God had decided to pour out judgment on the Israelites because of the condition of their hearts, and He revealed His intentions to Amos in a vision. We read of Amos’ second vision in Amos 7:4-6:
“Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the farmland. (5) Then I said, “Lord God, please stop! How can Jacob stand, for he is small?” (6) The Lord changed His mind about this. “This too shall not be,” said the Lord God. (7) Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand” (NASB).
The fire Amos refers to may have been a literal fire God was using as a symbol of his fiery wrath against His own people for their rebellion. In those days as in ours, out-of-control forest or vegetation fires were dangerous and deadly. These fires in those days primarily could start due to droughts – the land was so dry that any spark from a nearby fire or a lightning strike would create a wall of destructive fires that would spread with rapid speed. We have seen this in our time in California with the Palisades Fires that destroyed billions of dollars worth of property and resources.
In those days uncontrolled wildfires and locust swarms were the two worst threats to agricultural societies back then. Amos, when he saw that happening, had a choice. He could have said, “I agree. Wicked people. They’re idolaters. They offer their children as sacrifices. They’re greedy. They’re immoral. They deserve it.” But that’s not what he did.
He cried out to God for mercy, and God relented. It is tempting to complain about the condition of our nation, but what if we channeled that energy into asking God to be merciful on us and heal our land? As we see in this passage, He hears the cries of ordinary people like us—and who else will cry out to God but the people of God? What is stressed by Amos is God’s sovereignty in his book. To say that God is sovereign means we affirm that no matter what is happening, God is still in control and His will be accomplished.
We live in a world where at times it seems totally out of control and we wonder, “When will God intervene?” If you noticed above as God’s prophet, Amos pronounced God’s judgment on both Israel and Judah. God used a country by the name of Assyria to conquer the northern kingdom called Israel in 722 BC and then later God used Babylon to conquer both in 3 major military campaigns in 606 BC, 598 BC and 586 BC. For both Israel and Judah, it was total destruction. The fire of God consumed both. Yet, during this time prophets such as Amos prayed that God would relent His anger and as we saw above, God did at times. No parent enjoys punishing their children and neither does God.
Jesus’ name, power, and authority changes the course of nations. The hope and Spirit-filled prayers of His people make a difference. We see this Abraham for example when he asked God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham got all the way down to “if there are at least 10 righteous people living in these cities,” and God said He would not destroy them. For whatever reason, Abraham stopped at 10 and God ultimately destroyed both because between these 2 cities there were not even 10 righteous people. But the point is: had there been at least 10, God would have relented His fiery judgement against them.
Questions To Consider
- As our country continues to “de-evolve,” do you pray consistently for God to bring revival to it? Why or why not?
- During Amos’ day a devastating drought was spreading like an uncontrolled fire through both Israel and Judah. Where do you see a “spiritual drought” in our country as well as in the church? Why?
- In Numbers 23 below God knows everything that is going to happen before it does. God’s “knowledge” is determinative; that is, God’s omniscience (all-knowing) means that any “apparent” changing of God’s mind is merely our limited way of processing the events of history, but in “actuality” there is no real change. In short, everything is more or less determined. So prayer, then, becomes a way for us, if you will, to “get on the same page as God;” that is, to come in alignment with what He already has determined will happen.Our prayers do impact God’s responses. Though God knows we are going to pray and He already knows the eventual outcome, we don’t. So what does this tell you about prayer and why?
Scripture To Meditate On: Numbers 23:19-20, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (20) “Behold, I have received a command to bless; When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, we are a people in great need. You are a God of mercy and compassion, a God who restores and renews. Forgive our pride and rebellion, and pour a spirit of humility and repentance upon us. May fear and reverence of You wash over our hearts and minds. Lord, help us to be people of prayer. Help us to pray according to You will as Jesus taught in The Lord’s Prayer. Our hope is in the name of our Lord. I love You Lord. In His name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly