Amos 7:2-6 “And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: ‘O Lord GOD, forgive, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, for he is small!’ 3 So the Lord relented concerning this. ‘It shall not be,’ said the Lord. 4 Thus the Lord GOD showed me: Behold, the Lord GOD called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory. 5 Then I said: ‘O Lord GOD, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, for he is small!’ 6 So the Lord relented concerning this. ‘This also shall not be,’ said the Lord GOD.”
God had set in motion several judgments. The prophet Amos intercedes on behalf of the people of God. His initial prayer is to ask forgiveness of the Lord. I have taken special notice of this approach to God while reading the prophets lately. Their humility stands out as they pray for God to forgive not only their sin, but the iniquity of their fathers as well. Humility and repentance seems to initiate this marvelous passage in our devotional today.
God’s response? He “relented” concerning His pronouncement. That means he had pity to the point where He reversed His own pending actions! God re-announced, “It shall not be.”
Be encouraged today. There is nothing happening in your life right now that cannot be reversed. Start by humbling yourself before the Lord and repenting for every sin you and previous generations before you have committed. Ask God to be merciful. God can reverse anything and turn it around. May you receive a declaration from heaven: “This shall not be!”