Boldness to Proclaim the Word (Amos 7:12–13)

And Amaziah said to Amos, “Oh, seer, go. Flee away to the land of Judah and eat bread there and prophesy there. But never again, prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
– Amos 7:12–13

So basically what this is in the book of Amos is a threat against Amos. An accusation against him in light of what he was prophesying. So here was Amos saying things that the priest Amaziah and the king in Israel did not like. And the whole picture before this, is we’re not able to bear your words, what you’re saying. So go away from this land and don’t speak here. And there’s all kinds of, well, different applications we might consider as we see this picture of the prophet of God being rejected by the people of God.

I was reading Amos 7:12–13, and I just thought about the brothers and sisters we have around the world right now, who are speaking the word of God and are experiencing major persecution for it.

Amos 7:12–13 Leads Us to Pray for the Persecuted

As Christians, we should pray for those who face persecution to boldly proclaim the word of God.

For our brothers and sisters in North Korea and Somalia and Yemen and Saudi Arabia. And so many different places in the world, in Iran. The church is experiencing all kinds of persecution and threats. And the Bible calls us, commands us, to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters, and to go to them, to serve them and to care for them. To serve them as our own family.

So I want to lead us to pray specifically for the persecuted church in light of this picture of Amos 7:12–13, experiencing persecution. Oh God, our father in heaven, we pray right now on behalf of our brothers and sisters, your sons and daughters who are in labor camps in North Korea, because they are followers of you.

This Verse Reminds Us There are Believers Who Are Suffering

They’re experiencing unimaginable suffering and pain because they’re following you. God, we pray for our brothers and sisters in Somalia who know at any moment a friend or family member could kill them for their faith in you. God, we pray for brothers and sisters in Iran, really throughout the Middle East in different places where they’re facing various forms of persecution.

I think about brothers and sisters in India that I know, all over different parts of Asia. I don’t mention specific names now, but people, brothers and sisters, and our family, who are right now experiencing threats against them, who are being told to leave or to lose their land if they don’t. Or to lose their job, or to lose their life. To be imprisoned or to be killed for trusting you, for proclaiming your word. God, we pray a lot of the Acts 4, that you would give them boldness to proclaim your word.

Amos 7:12–13 Leads Us to Pray for Boldness

God, please just give them boldness to proclaim your word. Even the midst of persecution, you would cause the gospel to spread through them, we pray. Just as you gave Amos boldness to continue proclaiming your word, God, we pray that you’d give them boldness to continue proclaiming your word.

God, even as I pray that, God I’m so thankful that I can proclaim your word today and I’m not going to be thrown into prison for it. And I don’t even know how long that lasts in the country I live in, but God, I pray that as long as I have this freedom, as long as we, any of us listing how that freedom, God, that we would be bold in proclaiming your word. Even as we’re praying for boldness for them, God we pray that you give us boldness, that which they’re giving their lives, for losing their lives for.

We would not neglect when we don’t lose our life for it. Oh God, help them, help us together to be bold in our proclamation of your word, no matter what that means for our lives. Certainly our reputation, or no matter what that means for anything, God help us to be you faithful to proclaim your word. We pray for your strength, for your help, for your mercy, for your provision, for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. For their families as mom or dad is in prison, as a child is in prison.

This Verse Leads Us to Pray for Strength

God we pray that you would strengthen their faith, you would uphold them with your righteous right hand and you would cause your gospel to spread in prisons, in labor camps, in all these places in the world where there’s so much persecution against followers of Jesus. Our brothers and sisters, your sons and daughters, we pray for them, in Jesus’ name. Amen.