Famine is something not new to us. We hear about it all the time. We see pictures of starving children in regions all over the globe. It's a sad sight and often causes us to reach for our wallet and throw some small change that direction. As Christmas approaches I expect to find a few more of those appeals in my mail box and possibly a few more adds on TV. Hunger and famine is a serious issue in our world.
I suppose the closest thing to famine that we've faced in the US in relatively recent years was the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years. If anything, the US is faced with another tragic disease, gluttony, or as we prefer to call it, obesity. Jay Leno cracks me up with his "How fat are we getting in this country?" lines. We've gone from overweight to obese to morbidly obese. Today's kids growing up think that the 4 food groups are McDonalds, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Baskin Robbins (or Dairy Queen). We live by the slogan, "The more (of me) the merrier." I confess in the last few years my scale says, "One at a time please," when I get on it. Before long it's gonna start saying, "Would you just get off me you fat oaf."
To say that in the US we're a land of plenty would be an understatement. We have plenty of food, especially fast food. No one in the world would look at the US and accuse it of being in a famine. Food famine that is. We could be accused, however, of being in, as God describes in Amos 8, a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Seeking out and pursuing the truths of God's Word has been abandoned by much of society. The Bible is not relevant to many today. It's been set aside. Men and women, young and old, have turned a deaf ear to God's wisdom, guidance, instruction, and truth.
We've seen the devastation that a food famine can cause on country or society. The diseases fostered by malnutrition run rampant, destroying lives and families and communities. People are brought to their knees, become apathetic, hopeless, depressed. The land becomes desolate. Life is a burden.
Spiritual famine can be just as devastating to a country, a society, a people. Social diseases and calamities begin ravaging our cities, towns, communities, schools and even homes. Decline, decay, destruction prevail as the pattern for life. Relationships ruined. Lives destroyed. Ambition crushed. Pessimism the order of the day.
God, I'm concerned that we're in spiritual famine in our country. People have closed their eyes and their ears to your words. I know that when people shut you off, you simply quit speaking and leave us to our devices. The deterioration of our society has become obvious. My heart breaks for the broken lives, diseased lives all around me. God, I want to shout your truths, your promises of hope. I want be a light. Please don't shut my lips.
No comments:
Post a Comment