Never Say Amen!

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I, the Lord, also promise you a terrible shortage,
but not of food and water.
You will hunger and thirst
to hear my message.

You will search everywhere— from north to south,
from east to west.
You will go all over the earth,
seeking a message
from me, the Lord. But you won’t find one.

Your beautiful young women and your young men
will faint from thirst.

Amos 8:11-13

When the love letters stop flowing between a young couple who are separated by some practical necessity of life or maybe even war, you know that trouble is not far away. A loving relationship demands continual communication. Likewise a loving relationship between a man and his God is nurtured by prayer and Words from God. When we cease to pray we are like the young wife who gives her husband "the silent treatment." She just doesn't share anything with him and the immediate impact on their relationship is very uncomfortable.

These verses in Amos talk about a time when God stops talking to us. Amos compares it to a time of famine without food or water. The Word of God sustains our lives and without it we will soon be unable to continue our existence here on this earth. There is a point at which a long fast becomes the first stage of starvation. Fasting is a good thing, starvation is not!

There are times when we are justifiably criticized for talking too much. But I have never met a person who prayed too much. In fact, God's Word tells us to "pray without ceasing." I suppose that would mean that we would never say "Amen!" Listen for God's Word in the midst of your prayers to Him.

Seek the Lord when His Word floods the land and when there is a famine of the Word of God. Let your heart be set on knowing God and never, never, never stop praying!