Thirsty


Amos 8:11-14
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.
13 “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst.
14 Those who swear by the Guilt of Samaria, and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’ and, ‘As the Way of Beersheba lives,’ they shall fall, and never rise again.”

Food, water, and shelter; these are the primary needs of the human being in order to just survive. Without any one of these you will quickly perish. A person could probably survive without shelter the longest, depending on the physical circumstances. There are reports that people have gone up to 30-40 days without food, although most cannot make it that long. And water – that takes about 3-4 days and you’re done. The news is filled right now with horrifying pictures of those who are starving to death in Africa because of drought, thieves and the corruption of the leadership. Just seeing the pictures makes us shudder. Never since Adam has there been a time when famine was not an issue somewhere in the world. History records hundreds of famines and the deaths of multiple millions because of hunger and thirst.

This is the picture that God uses to get His point across to the Nation of Israel in Amos 8. But the thirst will not be for water or food as those seem to be in abundance at the time. No, this thirst is for the presence of the Lord and His Word. And He will not be found anywhere. Even the very strongest in the culture, the young adults will struggle with this thirst and find no relief. God’s wrath has finally reached its boiling point and He has withdrawn. This thirst will be worse than a lack of actual water. The situation is dire.

Many today find themselves in a similar situation. They work their ways through life thinking that they are accomplishing all by themselves a wonderful life. They feel no need of a holy God who would hold them accountable to His will and ways. But then the bottom drops out and they are lost. There is nowhere to turn and God suddenly seems like a viable option, but they don’t know Him nor do they know how to turn to Him. The thirst begins. The person is at a turning point – do they continue to pursue a very findable God, or do they trudge forward on their own, using up their own resources in order to salvage what they can out of this life? Here is where you, as a believer have an opportunity!

Because of the blood of Jesus, God is always “findable” for us. That thirst need not go unanswered. Jesus comes when we call and our surrender to Him brings relief. Here you have an opportunity to share the love of an all-powerful God who alone can fulfill the need of every person. Always when God brings spiritual famine or drought into our lives it is to serve one person, just as it did in the days of Amos. That purpose is to return us to the Lord who loves us and wants to fill us up with His love and presence. The thirst need never continue. Refreshment waits in His arms.

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