“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?
Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?”
(Amos 3:6)
God is the sovereign author of all events, including the judgments that fall upon humanity and particularly His wayward people. As Amos rhetorically asks, “Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?”
Trials, famines, and calamities are not random events; they all flow from His hand—whether as a curse on sin, chastisement for disobedience, or providence to fulfill His purposes. Famine, for instance, bears God’s signature as He testifies in Amos 4:6, “I have given you … want of bread in all your places.” He threatens it as judgment in Jeremiah 8:13. Prophets like Joseph predicted it by His Spirit; and as the giver of abundance, He also ordains scarcity.
Sin provokes His wrath, and famine is a chief instrument of His justice. Every cause of famine—drought, flood, or pestilence—is governed by God, the primary cause who commands all secondary causes (Lev. 26:19).
God controls the heavens, withholding rain to parch the earth or sending torrents to destroy crops, as in Noah’s flood. He commands locusts, hail, and frost, calling them His “great army” to execute His will. From barren fields to insect plagues, every affliction testifies to His overruling providence.
As William Gouge observed, “In all other means of famine the Lord has an overruling providence. So as these secondary causes give witness to this, that God sends famine … God is to be sought for removing and taking away famine.”[1] Only the Creator can reverse the judgments He sends, and only the Judge of all the earth can deliver from His chastening hand.
Contemplations:
- Creator and sustainer. What are all Your works Lord? I know they are either of creation or providence. And what should I believe about creation? That You are eternal, but the world You created had a beginning. It is incredible to consider, Lord, that everything was made by You, from nothing but the sheer word of Your mouth, at Your command. Your creative power humbles me, and I trust Your providence in all things.
- Sovereign over the fall. Everything You created, Lord, was good. But the fall, in Your providence, brought a curse on both man and creation. And yet You still see all things and know all things and attend and sustain all things, upholding and governing and disposing of Your world as You will. Your oversight of even a broken world assures me of Your care.
- Upholding all things. I know, Lord, that all things both good and evil—whether hard providences of sickness and famine and earthquakes or what we consider good providences of health and prosperity—are all upheld and continue through You (Psalm 119:91). Your sovereign hand governs every event, giving me confidence in Your purpose.
- Caring for humanity. Your providence extends to all things—even the microscopic components of atoms that make up the universe. All things both visible and invisible are governed and upheld by You (Rom. 11:36). And yet, You extend Your loving care and faithful mercies to “the sons of men” above all other creatures (Prov. 8:31). So I know that whether good or evil befalls me, it is not without Your providence (Amos 3:6).
Prayer (Thanksgiving)
O sovereign and almighty God, You are the eternal Creator who spoke the world into existence and governs all things by Your unerring providence. Your hand directs every event, from the mightiest storm to the smallest atom, and Your will is the cause of all that comes to pass. I worship You for Your infinite power and wisdom, ordaining both blessings and judgments for Your glory and the good of Your people. Your mercy shines even in chastisement, drawing us back to You.
I confess that I have often questioned Your providence, grumbling against trials rather than seeking You in them. I have doubted Your care when afflictions came, forgetting that You send both famine and plenty for Your purposes. My heart has resisted Your chastening hand, seeking relief elsewhere. Forgive me for these sins, for failing to trust Your sovereign will. Cleanse me through Christ’s blood and warm my heart to submit to Your providence.
With deep gratitude, I thank You for Your overruling hand in all things, as Amos 3:6 declares. Thank You for sending judgments like famine to turn Your people back to You, as Your Word testifies in Amos 4:6. I am grateful that You govern secondary causes—rain, locusts, and seasons—ensuring nothing happens apart from Your will. Your providence in creation, sustaining all from nothing, fills me with awe.
Thank You for Your special care for humanity, extending mercy to me above all creatures (Prov. 8:31). I rejoice that trials are not random but Your chastening love, working for my good (Rom. 11:36). Thank You for being the only One who can remove judgments, inviting me to seek You for deliverance. Your faithful providence assures me that no affliction is beyond Your control, and I praise You for Your unchanging care.
Lord, I plead for grace to trust Your providence in every circumstance. Help me seek You in trials, recognizing Your hand in both scarcity and abundance. Fill me with Your Spirit, that I may submit to Your will with humility and faith.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further References for Amos 3:6:
Isa. 45:7, 14:24; Psalm 66:11; Job 2:10, 5:17.
[1] William Gouge, God’s Three Arrows Plague, Famine, Sword, (London: George Miller, 1631), 161.
