A severe crisis rages today within the church of God, marked by a tragic famine of the Word of God. For over fifty years, God's people were nourished by a constant spiritual diet through the work of the church and Christ's chosen ministers. However, this sustenance has grown sparse, with many of God's doctrines altered and the essence of true Christianity ridiculed and set aside. As a result, numerous brethren have left the fellowship, wandering in a fruitless search for spiritual nourishment, feeling lost, fearful, unstable, frustrated, angry, bitter, and confused. We are living in a time of spiritual starvation. During such a spiritual famine, the most critical task is to feed the flock. Christ, as the Shepherd of Psalm 23, desires to supply our needs fully, ensuring we do not lack proper nourishment. He longs for us to find a green pasture, abundantly supplied with food and drink, where we can rest in peace. One of the purposes of the Church of the Great God is to serve as a refuge for those seeking to feed and grow in God's character. If we find ourselves becoming malnourished through neglect of prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fasting, it is paramount to remedy the situation immediately, for we have no time to waste. God will then encourage, perfect, and complete His purpose in us, delivering and rewarding His people despite the challenges of famine or any other trial.

A famine of hearing the Word of God is approaching, as foretold in Amos 8:11-12, where the Lord declares that a time will come when people will face not a lack of bread or water, but a scarcity of hearing His words. They will wander desperately from sea to sea, from north to east, seeking the Word of the Lord but finding none. This famine is a divine punishment for neglecting to worship God, forsaking His Truth, and failing to live according to His way of life. Despite the abundance of religion today, the true Word from the Lord is diminishing, leaving no light in the darkness, no spiritual nourishment, no guidance for decisions, and no shield against the lies of the enemy. Yet, Jesus Christ offers hope in Matthew 7:7-8, promising that those who ask, seek, and knock will receive, find, and have doors opened to them, ensuring they will not suffer from this famine of hearing if they earnestly pursue Him.

The concept of a famine of hearing emerges as a profound spiritual dimension within the broader context of physical famines and worldly sorrows. This spiritual famine, described as a scarcity of the hearing of the Word, signifies a time when the truth and guidance of God's message become rare and inaccessible to many. It is a condition that parallels the physical hunger experienced through wars, natural disasters, and human conflicts, reflecting a deeper deprivation of spiritual nourishment. This famine of hearing is not merely a historical observation but a warning of ongoing and future challenges. Just as physical famines have intensified in magnitude due to human sin and mismanagement, the spiritual famine indicates a growing distance from divine truth amidst the turmoil of the world. It serves as a reminder of the need to seek and preserve the Word of God, especially in times when false prophets and deceivers abound, as foretold by Jesus Christ in His prophecies. As part of the beginning of sorrows, this spiritual scarcity is woven into the fabric of human suffering, alongside physical famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. It underscores the urgency of remaining steadfast in faith, enduring through personal and communal trials, with the assurance that God will provide strength to His faithful. Even in the face of such a famine of hearing, those who trust in Him can find courage and confidence, knowing that He will ultimately redeem and sustain them through all forms of hunger, both physical and spiritual.

A famine infinitely more dreadful than the famine of food or water is the famine of hearing the words of the Lord. As foretold in Amos 8:11-12, the Lord God declares that days are coming when He will send a famine on the land, not of bread or thirst for water, but of hearing His words. People shall wander from sea to sea, from north to east, running to and fro seeking the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it. The world struggles to bear the teaching of God's Word, yet a time approaches when even those who seek it will be unable to find it. Similar to ancient Israel, who rejected the words of the Lord and faced exile with no divine revelation, people who repeatedly reject God's words will suddenly find them inaccessible. This absence will reveal that God's revelation was their most precious possession, lost to them in their captivity. Such a calamity may be provoked by neglect and indifference to the precious Word of God, making it an idol, disregarding or forsaking the faithful care of the truth, overvaluing human wisdom over divine revelation, supplementing or perverting God's Word, or exalting teaching methods over the message itself. This famine of hearing the words of the Lord surpasses all other deprivations in its severity.

In the context of spiritual nourishment and fruit-bearing, a significant warning emerges from Amos 8:11, where God speaks of a famine, not of the Word itself, but of hearing it. This spiritual famine reflects a deeper issue: although the nourishment provided by Jesus Christ—through His Spirit and His Word—is readily available, the problem lies in our failure to seek it out or in allowing distractions to prevent its absorption. When the mind is preoccupied with matters that do not edify, or even contradict spiritual growth, the godly nourishment is hindered, resulting in little or no fruit being produced. Thus, we must guard what enters and remains in our minds, ensuring that we do not inhibit the spiritual resources God has so graciously provided. If we fail to make use of this spiritual food or allow other concerns to overshadow it, we are choosing to remain dormant, unable to bear the fruit that glorifies God.

In the midst of God's judgment, a dire famine of hearing the Word of God will descend upon the people of Israel. During these terrible times, when His Word is most needed to guide them toward repentance, it will be nearly impossible to find. As calamity strikes, the people will realize too late that God desires their return to Him, but the seeds of destruction are already sown, and the harvest is ripe. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east, running to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it. In their panic and desperation, they will stagger like drunks, trembling with fear and anger, searching for what they once regarded so lightly—God, His truth, and His guidance—but it will be nowhere to be found. This famine will drive many to false religions, as they seek any refuge in the storm of judgment. The youth of Israel, lacking a solid foundation of truth from their elders, will be especially vulnerable to deception. While physical necessities become scarce, the true scarcity will be of God's Word, rendering repentance all but impossible in the face of such spiritual drought. God warns His people to redeem the time now, for the days are evil, and the opportunity to cling to Him and His Word grows shorter with each passing moment.