Faint for Thirst

Daily Reading: Amos 8

“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. 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.  In that day the lovely virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst." (Amos 8.11-13)

Devotional Thought: I was excited to be at Bugby U-Pick for the first tomatoes of the season.  When we got out of the car and looked out over the tomato field, the plants looked green and healthy.  The tomatoes were red and plentiful.  "There are not a lot of ripe ones yet," the farmer told us as we walked up. 

"What?  Look at them!" 

"Those are false ripe.  The dry spell in May caused a rot which makes them look ripe, but they are actually spoiled."  Sure enough, when we got into the rows of plants, dozens and dozens of red tomatoes had been picked and cast aside due to the rot on the bottom of the fruit. 

Dry seasons are hard on people, too.  Amos foretold of a dry season when hearing the words of the Lord would be rare. People would wander about, trying to find "water," but would remain parched.  "In that day the lovely virgins and the young men shall faint from thirst."  I believe that describes the condition of our day.  People - especially young people - are wandering about, seeking something that will quench their thirst.  They come upon first one thing and then another, only to discover that the ideas, the philosophies, the lifestyles that look so beautiful are full of rot and decay. 

How long must we go on in this condition?  Notice that the prophet did not say a drought of the words of the Lord, but of hearing the words of the Lord.  The problem is us.  God is speaking.  Are we hearing?

Prayer: Eternal God, "the fountain of living waters," have we "hewed out cisterns for [our]selves, broken cisterns that can hold no water?" (Jeremiah 2.13).  Forgive us and satisfy us with your words we pray.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 102.18-28

18 Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: 19 “The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, 20 to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” 21 So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem. 22 when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD. 23 In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days. 24 So I said: “Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. 25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. 27 But you remain the same, and your years will never end. 28 The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.”