“The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?” Amos 3:8
September 16-18, 2022
Prosperity can be a very dangerous thing. It can disguise flagrant rejections of God’s call to worship Him. Our nation has enjoyed over 250 years of a rise in prosperity and the opportunity to be a morally stabilizing presence in the family of nations, though not without our flaws. Along with it, American Christianity has had unparalleled privileges for the formation of the conscience of a society. Evangelism and Bible preaching in pulpits scattered throughout the land in years past have been showers of blessing. As meager as it may seem, it has all become a story of privileges and squandered opportunities. The prophet Amos was raised up by God to call Israel to her unique position as a chosen people. Judgment was about to descend on God’s covenant people. Precision of thought is necessary. America is not the new Israel. Nor is the church the new Israel. However, the church, along with its host nation, the USA, is seeing a gathering storm of increased evils swarming about us. Moral disaster has its cause. God has turned our nation over to the consequences of its self-righteous pursuit of its selfish construction of hideous values, all in the name of good. When Amos says the “lion has roared” he was saying that the God of grace does not send disasters without sending a warning first. As lions roar in seeking their prey, God sends His alarm. What we are seeing now is only a prelude to greater instability and trouble to come. As followers of Jesus Christ we must so live as to call the lost to repentance. A fool’s paradise of temporary prosperity is no safe place. H
A time to pray: “O Lord over all the families of the earth, we cry for mercy, though we do not deserve it. How long will your Word, through your servants, be rejected?”