Take Not They Holy Spirit from Me
“I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” (Amos 8:11) “The condition described is that of being deaf to the words of Jehovah, not able to hear them. It is not a case of God withholding His revelation; but of people being in such a state that they do not see it, do not hear the words,” (G. Campbell Morgan).
Growing up, my parents loved to play great gospel records. Our home was filled with God’s praises which greatly impacted by faith. I learned so much from those melodic words. One song impacted me so greatly. In many churches, the song is sung as a doxology or a simple declaration of faith. For me, played from that well-worn record, it was a prayer of such deep feeling that I could scarcely hear it and not cry. The song echoed the words of Psalm 51:10-12: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
There are times when God feels silent. For whatever reason, we simply cannot hear His voice or feel His presence. These times of desperate loneliness fill me with a hollow dread. This is what it means to be separated from God. My soul and my heart simply cannot stand the silence for long. Though I have experienced these times and learned from them, I pray to never walk their lonely roads again. I need my Savior. I need His presence. I need the Holy Spirit’s comforting whispers and reminders. Today’s reading reminds us that God will not have fellowship with sin. Yes, He came in the form of Jesus to save every sinner who turns from their sin and calls on His name, but He will not ignore continued sin. The entire book of Amos has testified to this truth. God is just and He demands justice of His children. When we reject His holiness, we reject Him.
Of all the judgments we have read about in this book, the famine of His presence is the most devastating. I can withstand anything this world throws at me if I have the Lord by my side. The comfort of the Holy Spirit surpasses anything even the best of friends could offer. The lack of that presence is the very definition of hell. This is the future of all who reject His offer of salvation. If we truly love the people around us, we would never wish this on them. Let that feeling of those silent times motivate us to share the truth with anyone who will listen, and let us join David in pleading “Take not your Holy Spirit from me.”
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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