Amos?

I sat down this morning with my coffee and no real “Bible plan” eager to read something that would inspire my day. I am doing an organized study in the evenings this year leaving my morning prayer and journal time more open to inspiration. My study has taken me to the gospels this week and I had a taste for some good Old Testament richness. I began practically salivating over my favorite passages from Isaiah? Jeremiah maybe? Habbakuk is a favorite I return to… Zephaniah 3 never gets old… But I found myself being pulled to Amos.

Isn’t that the shepherd who gave all the judgements on Israel’s neighbors and then also on Israel herself?

That doesn’t sound like what I was looking for. I don’t know if it was the Holy Spirit or just my mind’s eye that drew me to Amos, but in the end I always remember that any reading out of the writings God gave us to reveal himself will turn up something good.

I opened up Amos and read the first chapter. The verse that had the sizzle was close to the begining:

“The LORD roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.” (Amos 1:2 ESV)

It was his voice, and the image of roaring that held my attention and today, after a very dense week of activity and some incredible breakthroughs it spoke to me. The voice of the LORD is mighty and powerful. It roars. 

Of course we enjoy the reminder that God speaks in a still small voice, but he isn’t limited. His voice also roars in power, especially over those he loves who love him. That resonated with me strongly this week. I believe God has been roaring over my life recently. I was then reminded of an all time favorite Psalm:

”The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!“ Psalm 29:3-4, 10-11 ESV

As I considered the imagery of the powerful thundering voice of God over his creation, I returned to my present surroundings and noticed something else. Peace. The scene of my early morning was on a pallet couch under a canopy on my patio looking out at my horses eating morning hay as the soft noises of a spring day began to come alive around me. The temperature was cool and the air was still. I was nested in some cozy blankets to keep off the chill and had a home made latte next to me. There was peace, wholeness, a sense of being complete and at rest here that is not always, and this very week was not always, the case.

Actually, this season is packed with activity and responsibilities. Music, horses, personal commitments, writing, building, relating, each day has cares of its own. I am aware when I carry too much and have to hand the daily box back the Jesus to carry so I can walk in freedom and be more effective since I’m less weighted down with many concerns, but I still have to practice this and if I am still practicing handing over my anxieties, it means I still accumulate them. 

Yet the more I practice, the better I get at it! 

As I considered the juxtaposition between God’s mighty powerful roar and the peaceful scene around me I noticed they are also juxtaposed in Psalm 29. The Psalm begins instructing us all to “Ascribe to the LORD” glory, power, strength, and might. Then for many verses tells of how powerful the voice of the LORD is. I wrote my own inspired images for what I imagine the voice of the LORD brings in my own circle:

When the LORD speaks, life bursts forth! His voice brings the crumbling of false walls, false selves, false barriers. The voice of the LORD reveals truths previously hidden or obscured. The voice of the LORD obliterates chains and forms of bondage.

At the end of the Psalm after all the roaring and majesty, the voice of the LORD restores us to Peace.

Then it was obvious. The roaring voice of the LORD over my life that revealed the hidden things, broke through previous roadblocks, and breathed life into things I put my hands to, is powerful and mighty. It is because I have experienced these things for myself, I have more Peace this morning. It is because I’ve witness the mighty voice of the LORD that gives me the confidence to rest in his hands, to trust that regardless what is to come he is capable of keeping it all in place and laying out the path for me to walk out. 

It reminds me of working with my horses. They want peace more than anything else! Some people try to work with their horse in an only positive comfortable way, never asking them to go to a place they’re not comfortable. Over time this actually deteriorates the relationship instead of strengthening it. I have learned that to create a strong bond with my horse, I need to be worthy of her trust. It is in proving myself a capable leader who is aware of my surroundings and responding in calm confidence that grows a bond of trust. Occasionally I have to send a strong message to my horse that she has crossed a line or is heading the wrong direction. Occasionally my own “voice” thunders powerfully over my 1200 pound prey animal to refocus, be present and attentive to my direction.  It is the experience of this working out well for her consistently over time that brings her peace when I am around. Stability, consistency and the power to accomplish what is necessary. When she is convinced of these things she can relinquish control of her world over to me when I am present and trust me to take care of things. 

Similarly I have to experience God coming through for me in times of concern or anxiety in my own life. This means I have to have times of anxiety or concern (this isn’t hard to come by today!), then I must make the choice to trust Him to get me through, and when he does and it works out I place increasing trust in our relationship. This equals increasing peace in my life.

I guarantee I will be challenged presently to enter this cycle again. I have not arrived. Yet the experience of the wholeness, completeness and peace that I experience will help me remember that regardless of what I face, the LORD sits enthroned above the flood! May the LORD bless his people with peace!