“The Lord roars from Zion,
And utters His voice from Jerusalem…
Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets
A lion has roared!
Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken!
Who can but prophesy?” (Am 1:2; 3:7, 8)

As a pastor and preacher of the Word, I am concerned when I observe spiritual passivity in the congregation. This weakness is a sign of divine judgment. Even as we continue to pray for revival, there are basic lessons we must learn from the Bible. I read somewhere that the owners of Christian bookshops made a strange observation. They said that next to buying a Bible the believers prefer to read Christian fiction. They avoid serious books about the doctrines and the study of the Word of God. This is very sad and also a dangerous path.

Amos was a farmer and a business man. God called him to be His prophet and speak of His behalf. Basically, the Book of Amos is a gathering of warnings from God against the nations. The pagans have erred. Even the people of God have taken their salvation and prosperity for granted. They want to be like the other nations. All they want is to enjoy their material prosperity on earth. They joined others to serve idols. They still go to the Temple, they still pray and they continue in their religious feasts but the heart is far from God. They rejected the prophets who warned them to repent. That is when God Himself decides to ‘roar’ like a Lion from Zion. Amos is echoing the roar of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He warns the people of God that if they do not repent, God will send judgment on the land. One way this judgment will manifest is as losing spiritual strength and the gathered wealth (Am 3:11). The rich and famous religious men shall suddenly fall into trouble and become in need. This poverty is strange and cannot be reversed without deep and open repentance of heart.

Amos said that God roars like a lion. He too roars like a lion ‘in training’.
In the natural, why does a lion roar?
It’s all about establishing presence, territory and communication. Cubs do not roar. Only the mature lions do! It’s a sign that they are in their territory and a warning to other challenging males. Roaring is also one of their strategies for catching prey. They creep up on the prey and when they are close enough, they will let out a roar that confuses that animal. Because of fear, the victim cannot “think” or react correctly and is caught by the lion.

Spiritually speaking, the prophetic roar of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is to bring back the fear of God on the people of the land. This is a preparation for revival. This is a good fear and it produces wisdom. For a long time God is patient when we take Him for granted….But from time to time His roar will be heard over the hills and valley and that roar cannot be ignored. Your enemies will be paralyzed with fear and they have to retreat! The roar will remind you that Jesus is Lord! The roar will warn you of impending judgment. The roar comes with power and also with mercy. The warning is to be heeded and repentance is to be fruitful.

“The sound of the King is in their midst…
For there is no sorcery against Jacob,
Nor any divination against Israel
It now must be said of Jacob
And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’
24 Look, a people rises like a lioness,
And lifts itself up like a lion;
It shall not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain” (Nu 23:21, 23, 24)

I am a pastor to the flock of God. I teach, encourage, help and counsel them who are in need. But in times of spiritual crisis, the prophetic roar cannot be quenched. The anointing must do what the anointing must do! This is the work of God, for the sake of God! May you learn to combine the pastoral anointing with the prophetic gifting! You need both! May you become spiritually mature! The devil roars to intimidate and manipulate. He can deceive men but not forever. Once the Lion of the tribe of Judah has lifted up His voice, all opposition is defeated! One royal roar solves millions of problems!

“Dear Heavenly Father, for Your Word, for Your Spirit, for Your chastisement, for Your warnings, for Your mercy, love and grace, for the healing, for the deliverance, for the victory….may all the glory go to You alone!”