A Famine of the Word

"The time is surely coming," says the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine on the land -not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord..." Amos 8:11 This message was spoken to the nation of Israel as God was about to pour out his judgment on them for their continued disobedience and idolatry. I was stuck by this passage as I read it this morning. Two thoughts entered my mind as I read it. 1) Could there be anything worse than being cut off from the voice of the Lord? 2) The Lord is speaking to his children today through the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but how many believers have cut themselves off from the word of the Lord by refusing to listen? There is no question in my heart or mind that God still speaks today. He speaks through many ways. Henry Blackaby in Experiencing God outlines five ways God speaks today: 1) The Holy Spirit, 2) the Bible, 3) Prayer, 4) Circumstances, & 5) the Church. The question has never been is God speaking but are we listening? What a tragedy when the children on the Almighty willingly choose to cut themselves off from the "words of the Lord." Are you listening? What is God saying?