A Roaring River
With all the rain and the melting snow we’ve had this past week, the brooks, rivers, and streams are full and even spilling over their banks, often wreaking havoc on roads and neighborhoods. However, in spite of the difficulties that these roaring rivers cause, they are quite a spectacle to behold. As I passed by the Pascack Brook this morning, it was running at full capacity, no longer looking like a mere brook but like a full-fledged river.
During the spring and the summer, my family and I often enjoy taking hikes to places that have brooks, streams and rivers running through them, sometimes even with a waterfall. The fuller the river or stream, the faster the water is running, and the more beautiful it is to watch.
I’m reminded of how the prophet Amos used a full and roaring river as a metaphor, as he cried out to God’s people, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24 – NIV)
The people of Amos’ day had become caught up in their own daily lives, prosperity, and economic security. Many were very well-to-do, while the masses were suffering. (Sounds much like the world in which we live today!) Thus, Amos calls out on behalf of the Lord, challenging God’s people to look beyond themselves. He challenges them to fill their lives with doing what is right and just before God; to promoting justice for those who were being eaten up by the unjust systems of their day; to allow God’s justice to spill over the banks of their lives.
The prophet Micah put it this way: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 – NIV)
Ask the Lord today to make your life like a roaring river, flowing full of justice and righteousness; spilling over with his love and mercy.
Have a great day!
-Pastor Tim Harris
During the spring and the summer, my family and I often enjoy taking hikes to places that have brooks, streams and rivers running through them, sometimes even with a waterfall. The fuller the river or stream, the faster the water is running, and the more beautiful it is to watch.
I’m reminded of how the prophet Amos used a full and roaring river as a metaphor, as he cried out to God’s people, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24 – NIV)
The people of Amos’ day had become caught up in their own daily lives, prosperity, and economic security. Many were very well-to-do, while the masses were suffering. (Sounds much like the world in which we live today!) Thus, Amos calls out on behalf of the Lord, challenging God’s people to look beyond themselves. He challenges them to fill their lives with doing what is right and just before God; to promoting justice for those who were being eaten up by the unjust systems of their day; to allow God’s justice to spill over the banks of their lives.
The prophet Micah put it this way: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 – NIV)
Ask the Lord today to make your life like a roaring river, flowing full of justice and righteousness; spilling over with his love and mercy.
Have a great day!
-Pastor Tim Harris
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