📖 A Famine of the Word.
- Terry W. Bailey
- Jul 7
- 2 min read
As a young pastor, I once read Amos 8:11:
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.”
I took it to mean a time would come when no Bibles could be found—when the Word would be outlawed, churches shut down, and access to Scripture stripped away. And while that’s a possibility, that’s not what God was saying here.
🔍 WORD STUDY – “Hearing” (Hebrew: shama). This doesn’t just mean “listening to sound.” It means to listen attentively with the intention of obeying.
Not a famine of the Word itself... but a famine of people willing to truly listen and respond.
This is a judgment — not on availability, but on appetite. The scrolls were still present in Israel, but their hearts had gone dull. The famine was Spiritual deafness. They could hear… but they wouldn’t.
📉 That’s the famine we see today. Bibles on every shelf. Apps on every phone. Sermons streaming night and day. But how many are truly hearing? How many are obeying? We aren’t starving for content — we’re starving for conviction.
🧠💡 I’ve learned over the years that studying the Bible should lead to growth. And growing means sometimes letting go of what you thought something meant.
The Word of God never changes. It changes you.
So, read it again. Study it deeper. Let it speak louder. And above all… hear it — like your life depends on it. Because it does.
Pastor Terry
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