“For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live; but do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” (Amos 5:4-5)

In our journey of faith, relying on God is an encouragement that we often hear and sometimes it may feel that it brushes past us because we are too distracted by the struggles we are facing. When we face a trial, sometimes our first thought isn’t to turn to God, we don’t reflect, but instead we seek other sources of help or our own wisdom. Maybe we seek resources online, we seek professionals to help us, perhaps we seek our own strengths to “work through it” ourselves.

Occasionally, suffering may come about as rebuke from the Lord, perhaps it is an experience that is supposed to refine us, or teach us. In Amos 5, God speaks to His people reminding them to turn back from their sins, to repent and seek God again. The Israelites loved to seek the strength and power of neighbouring countries. They liked to compare and copy the godless nations. They turned to idols and physical places of safety. God reminds them that these nations have no power, nothing compared to the power God has. When we seek help from sources of the world, we may find that there are some benefits, but it is not complete. Where the world can give physical and material gains, it may leave emptiness in the soul. Where the world can give a perceived place of belonging, it may slowly take away part of your own identity. The solutions of the world are temporary and incomplete. The solutions we can come up with on our own, cannot compare to God’s wisdom.

Perhaps we may find that we have transgressed against God, like the Israelites did in this chapter. Do we choose to continue veering further and further away from God, seeking the nations for help? Or will we humbly present ourselves before God to seek Him and to turn back to Him? Perhaps we have not turned away from God, but we are facing a trial. Will we remember that we have a God who is ready to answer the prayers of those who seek Him?

Whether we have sinned against God or not, whether we are facing trials or are in times of peace, let us always remember to seek the Lord. Seek God, build a relationship with Him, hold on tightly to God’s strength, love and wisdom, and He will guide you through.