Day 182 – Amos: Visions of judgment
“The Sovereign Lord showed me a vision. I saw him preparing to send a vast swarm of locusts over the land. This was after the king’s share had been harvested from the fields and as the main crop was coming up.” Amos 7:1 NLT
Read Amos 7:1 to Amos 9:15
The following series of visions conveyed God’s message to the people, using images that were familiar to them – locusts, fire, and a plumb line. A plumb line is a weight hanging from a string used to ensure the straightness of a wall. A crooked wall will eventually collapse. God wants his people to be in alignment with Him; He wants the sin that makes us crooked removed. God’s word works as the plumb line to help us be aware of our sin.
Twice, Amos was shown a vision of Israel’s impending punishment, and his immediate response was to pray that God would spare Israel. Prayer is a powerful privilege. Amos’s prayers should remind us to pray for our nation and its leaders to carry out justice according to God’s Word.
Prayer: Father, thank You for trusting us to show us visions. May we intercede for all those who will be affected through them, because when You show something to us, it is our responsibility to enter into prayer for them so it can be the sweet-smelling aroma of incense before Your throne. Thank You, Lord, for the privilege of prayer. Amen.
