Our Deepest Need

Scripture – Amos 5:14-17: ¹⁴Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. ¹⁵Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. ¹⁶Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: “There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail. ¹⁷There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) A hint of hope is given here. If the people will change their hearts and behavior, “perhaps” the Lord will have mercy on them. The primary problem, of course, still remains – the people don’t realize they’re doing anything wrong. The end of vs. 14 touches on that. They think the Lord is with them already, so why should they change?

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) There’s a song we sing sometimes called “People Need the Lord.” That reality can be hard to communicate these days. There are so many voices in our culture today telling us what we “need.” A lot of people don’t know any better. So they spend their life chasing after the illusion that they can be satisfied by obtaining what the world says they need. I’m not sure how to counter that. I will listen for opportunities to initiate spiritual conversations today. I will follow through when those opportunities come.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, give me a sensitive, discerning spirit today as I talk with people. Remind me that you fill my deepest need, and you are the answer for everyone I meet.