"Driven to KNow"

"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12 NIV).

Have you ever wondered about how much information we have nearly immediate access to in this day of burgeoning technology? The simple pressing of a button on our phone connects us to virtually any of dozens of news sources or data bases. We can find more information than we ever dreamed possible even ten years ago! Yet, I wonder with all of these sources available, why is it we seem to be so driven to know more? Some of the answer must be rooted in our reading today.

Like most of the Old Testament prophets, Amos was chosen by God to deliver a message of repentance and judgment; "Seek the Lord and live, or He will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire" (Amos 5:6). God was calling His people to return, but they had wandered far from His presence and showed no interest in a life of worship. The economy of their day was thriving and the people had few needs which went unfulfilled; they were content and saw little need for God. Through Amos, God sent a strong warning. Although He promises to answer all who respond to His call, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel 2:32), and He promises to be VERY patient, "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9), God also warns that the opportunity to hear the truth may not always be available. I think that’s what so many people are longing to hear today!

Haven’t you found yourself listening to leaders in government, society, and perhaps the church, wondering if what they said was really the truth? I have. Perhaps that has been the case because we have found that in reality they weren’t telling us the truth. Perhaps it is simply because our expectations were too high to start with. Whatever the cause, the result has been that we have neglected the one source for the truth.

We have been blessed to live during this time in history. Yes, we face the unrelenting pressures of an over-indulgent, self-consumed society; but we have also been blessed with a wonderful access to the truth in the Scripture. In most parts of the world we have the freedom to worship with other believers and full access to truth-filled teaching. I urge you to make yourself available to the fullness of that truth and the presence of the Holy Spirit to lead you in application of that truth in your life.