by There is a spiritual famine in America’s churches today. Not a famine of God’s Word, but as Amos 8:11 says, a famine “of hearing the words of the Lord,” a refusal to hear and to heed the truths of His Word. This famine is not because we lack the quantity of God’s Word. Today, we have more Bibles in homes then ever in our nation’s history — more Bibles in world’s languages, more Bible study materials at our fingertips. This spiritual famine is because we lack the quality of God’s Word in our lives.
After 250 years, many in America “run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:12). Why? When the plain truth of scripture and doctrine is told to them, they seek their own interpretation. Why? Because the average American spends less time in the Bible than any other activity, less time hearing from God and being influenced by Him. Very few believers can quote scripture, fewer can give a clear biblical explanation for what they believe. Thus, the famine of the truths of God’s Word in our nation lies on the shoulders of these believers — they have lost their savor for God’s Word (Luke 14:34-35), they no longer have God’s Holy seasoning to draw men. They have become ineffective witnesses, causing God’s Word to be discounted as a cheap option.
After 250 years, the reason for this famine parallels Amos’ day. In Amos 2:6-8, God’s people refused to be in God’s Word because it revealed their immorality. In 6:1-8, materialism made them complacent and unconcerned about coming judgment. In 8:4-10, religion became their authority over God’s Word. In 8:14, God’s people are then found swearing by the idols of their religion. Rather than sacrificing everything else and seeking God’s Word, they were sacrificing God’s Word to everything else — sounds much like America’s churches today.
After 250 years, God’s choice of the word “famine” reveals the way out. Reversing the effects of famine is as simple as eating the right food. It takes more than commitment and hard work to win against such strong complacency when our nation has drifted so far into this famine. It takes “the whole armour of God” which includes “the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:11-13). Thus, the only way out is to feed on God’s Word like our lives depends upon it!
