We Prepare for Everything Except Meeting God
We prepare for school, careers, weddings, and even funerals; yet how many of us prepare for the most important meeting of all: meeting God Himself?
That was the message God sent through Amos, a humble shepherd from Tekoa, a town in Judah. His words shook a comfortable, wealthy nation that had forgotten what mattered most. Israel was rich, religious, and at the same time, proud: But Spiritually Blind. They thought their success meant God was pleased with them, but in truth, they were walking toward judgement.
And God kept trying to wake them up. Again and again, He sent warnings through famine, drought, disease, and disaster—each one a chance to repent. But the Lord said five times in every verse of Amos 4:6–11, “Yet you did not return to Me.”
How much this sounds like our world today! We are busy, comfortable, and proud but spiritually asleep. What was true in Amos’s day remains sadly true in ours. Many people today live comfortably in outward Christianity while inwardly apart from God. We think God’s patience means approval. We think His blessings of life and many other things mean all is well. But what if our comforts have made us blind to our greatest need: TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD?
Amos’ World and Ours:
In Amos’ time and ours, ‘Prosperity Becomes Poison’. Amos lived in a time when Israel enjoyed peace and wealth. But the people had drifted far from God. The rich crushed the poor, truth was silenced by money, justice was bought and sold, and worship became just a social performance (Amos 5:10–12, 21–23).
They still went to the temple, sang songs, and brought offerings – but their hearts were far from God. Their Christianity had become empty. They thought prosperity was proof of God’s favour. They interpreted prosperity as a divine blessing. They believed they were immune to God’s judgement. A dangerous impression shared by many modern Christians who confuse success with spirituality.
Does that sound familiar? Today, many assume that if life is good, they will be able to put food on the table or go up and down; therefore, God must be pleased. But as one scholar, J.A. Motyer, wrote, “Israel’s prosperity had blinded her to her poverty before God.” The same can happen to us. Comfort can make us careless. Success can make us spiritually blind.
God’s Five Warnings: Still No Repentance
In Amos 4:6–11, God reminds Israel of five painful experiences meant to awaken her conscience. He allowed each event to bring them back to Him: YET after every event, the warning thunders: “Yet you did not return to Me.”
- Famine (6) — God took away their bread so they might hunger for Him.
- Drought (7-8)—He stopped the rain so they might thirst for His presence.
- Disease and Locusts (9) — He destroyed their crops bearing fruit to show them that life depends on Him.
- Pandemic and War (10) — He sent suffering so they might seek His mercy.
- Destruction (11) — He overthrew cities but spared a few, “like a stick snatched from the fire.”
Each time, God repeated, “Yet you did not return to Me.”
This is one of the saddest moments in the Bible. It shows that people can suffer greatly and still remain hard-hearted. As the book of Revelation says, people were “scorched with great heat,” yet “they did not repent and give Him glory” (Rev. 16:9–11). The problem is not ignorance but resistance; not a lack of information (the Gospel is everywhere), but a hardening of the heart. God’s goal in discipline is always repentance, not revenge. But when people refuse to turn, they choose judgement over mercy.
Our Modern Era
Today we face the same danger, like ancient Israel. A Christianity without repentance. We live in an age of spiritual abundance: Bibles in every house, sermons on every platform, and many attend church, give offerings, and speak of grace, yet live far from the heart of God. Some say, “God is love; He will understand,” while ignoring His call to holiness.
This is what spiritual blindness looks like:
- We enjoy comfort but forget the Comforter.
- We sing praise but resist change.
- We study Scripture but fail to obey it.
Peter warned us that in the last days, people will be mocking the promise of Christ’ return and God’s judgement, saying, “Everything continues as it has been since the beginning” (2 Peter 3:4). But delay is not denial. Dear friend, God’s patience is a gift, like in the day of the prophet Amos. Such delay is a time to repent, not permission to sin.
What Israel (and We) Must Do: “Prepare to Meet Your God”
Then comes the thunder of Amos 4:12 “Prepare to meet your God.” This is not a suggestion. It’s an order, a summons. Israel needed to stop pretending that their worship could cover their sin. They needed to stop on their way to Bethel and turn their hearts back to God. That’s what “prepare to meet God” really means: to get right with Him now, before it’s too late. Rather than to worship with dirty hands and divided hearts.
We too must prepare by:
- Letting go of false security — wealth, fame, or tradition cannot save us.
- Turning from sin — not just feeling sorry, but truly changing direction.
- Loving truth — letting God’s Word, not the world, shape our values. I mean to love what God loves and hate what He hates.
- Worshipping with sincerity — drawing near to God with clean hearts.
As John Piper said, “The great tragedy of sin is not that we break God’s law, but that we despise His beauty and exchange His glory for dust.” When we repent, we rediscover that beauty — the joy of belonging to Him.
God’s Warnings Are Mercy in Disguise
Every warning from God is an act of mercy. “Prepare to meet God” echoes as both a warning and a mercy. Every hardship, sermon, and trial is an invitation to return. Like a loving Father, He shouts so we can wake up before it’s too late. But the longer we resist, the harder our hearts become.
Some who grow up in Christian homes may take grace for granted. They think because they know about God, they know God Himself. But Amos warns that even God’s people can grow numb to His goodness. Paul said it this way: “Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness… not realising that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).
My Appeal to You: Are You Ready to Meet God?
Dear friend, are you ready to meet God? Not tomorrow, but today? In Luke 16, the rich man in torment begged that someone be sent to warn his family, but the answer came: “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” We already have God’s Word. We already have the cross. Jesus has risen. What more do we need to turn back?
God is calling you not to fear but to have faith. God has spoken through His Word, through Christ, and through His Spirit. To remain unmoved is not ignorance; it is rebellion. He doesn’t want to condemn you; He wants to change you. But the time to respond is now. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.”
So, the voice of Amos still echoes today. A call of mercy: “Seek the Lord and live.” (Amos 5:6)
Conclusion
The message of Amos is not only about judgement; it is about grace before judgement. God warned Israel again and again because He loved them. And He loves us still. Yes, the consequences of spiritual blindness are severe. But the cure is simple: open your eyes, return to God, and live.
The same Lord who said, “Prepare to meet your God,” now says through Jesus, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). If you come to Him now, you will meet Him not as Judge but as Saviour, Shepherd, and Friend.
