Life has been heavy lately.
Maybe just a little more than usual, the world is groaning under the weight.
The horrible crimes, venomous words, and selfish attitudes are all over the news.
Sin is surging in our cities, communities, churches, homes, and even our own hearts.
Oh, it’s heavy.
How do you think God feels?
How does He react to the things going on?
After all, He knows more than any news outlet.
He doesn’t need camera footage to figure out what happened.
He sees and knows every. single. horrific. detail….. in the lives of 7.8 billion people.
God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.
Ps. 7:11
How heavily this must weigh on the God of justice and mercy.
His tender, compassionate heart is torn by the evil of the world.
Way back when, in a time similar to today, God used a shepherd to warn His people.
A shepherd cares and looks out for dense and defenseless sheep.
This shepherd’s name is Amos – his name means burden.
In this point in time, God is sending a caring shepherd to tell His burden for His people.
He’s given them chance after chance to turn back from their evil ways.
They’ve rejected Him over and over.
So He’s sending His burden to them YET AGAIN.
I can’t get over His mercy! He really, really doesn’t want them to perish, as anguished as He is by their sin.
Behold, I am weighted down beneath you.
Amos 2:13
Burden (Amos) warns the people of all the judgment that will come upon them for their sin.
But the plea has no effect.
They push back on God again.
The priest of the false god complains about Amos to the king:
“the land is unable to endure all his words.”
Amos 7:10
The people can’t bear to hear about the weight of their own sin.
They don’t want to recognize the reality of how awful they’ve been.
And because they can’t see it, they can’t get rid of it.
This is the reality for so many people today.
They can’t see their sin, and they can’t see the dark, billowing judgment looming over them.
The Just and Merciful God loves us rebellious people so much…. He has shouldered the burden Himself.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
Isaiah 53:5
I’m thankful today that even in a hopeless, blinded world, there’s a God who is burdened for us.
He has taken it upon Himself to do everything possible for us to be free of the weight of our sin.
He desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:4
What a beautiful heart.
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