“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land; not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8:11–12
Back in the day while living in Haiti, it was common to be stuck in the traffic jams of Port-au-Prince, sitting in my truck with the window rolled down and be greeted by a young Haitian male with his hand held out and the words ‘Mwen grangoo’ rolling off his parched tongue. “I’m really hungry!” Famine in the flesh.
The word ‘famine’ should hang like an awful omen in our minds. Mentally, we picture a brutal, grotesque image. Cows' hips protrude. Babies' eyes are hollow. Bloated stomachs growl angrily. Skin stretches across faces tight as a trampoline. The outline of the skull slowly emerges. Joints swell. Grim, despairing stares replace smiles. Hope is gone and life is reduced to a harsh existence as famine takes its toll. “Mwen grangoo!”
The learned experts in our fallen world are telling us that "It's only a matter of time" until famine will be reaching our country too. When I open the doors to my kitchen cupboards, refrigerator or freezer; I don’t see famine.
For us who are living in a country that is so well fed, the idea of famine is foreign. “Mwen grangoo!” Famine, it's something that plagues India or China, never America! When I drive east on College to the intersection of Vetrans there are an abundance of businesses that sell food. Kroger’s, Chick-fil-a, Chipotle Grill, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Panera. I don’t see “Mwen grangoo” in Normal, IL today.
There is another kind of famine that is equally as tragic in our fallen world in 2025, but far more subtle. God spoke of it through the prophet Amos in the above scripture. We may find physical famine almost impossible to believe, but how about a spiritual famine? Check out the morning news across the United States; it’s here. It is seemingly everywhere our fallen world. Spiritual famine. The prophet Amos didn't predict a lack of churches or chapels or temples or tabernacles or seminars or sermons that were reasons for the famine. He spoke of "a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." When was the last time that you gave thanks for the privilege of being able to read and heard God’s Word? When was the last time you were given the opportunity give a young child was very hungry and attending a Christian school in Haiti a meal? When was the last time you heard “mwen grangoo!”
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay