We must not mention the name of the Lord. (Amos 6:10)
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I tagged along with my dad on his afternoon errands. These trips usually ended at the local ice cream shop, eating hot fudge sundaes. “Don’t tell your mother,” would be his closing remark. We may not have spoken any words to reveal our secret, but our lack of appetite and guilty faces clearly told my mother that we had been snacking. We couldn’t hide the truth from her motherly eyes. Confessions came quickly.
Amos warned Israel’s leaders that their sins were evident to God. They paraded their disobedience. They flaunted their idolatry, dishonest dealings, and abuse of the sacrificial laws. Their guilt led to fearing God’s wrath. They hoped by not speaking of their sins, God would not see them.
“I abhor the pride of Jacob,” God says in Amos 6:8. God sees all my disobedience. I believe I hide things from Him, but He knows the secrets of my heart. He knows when I am selfish with my time, when I neglect His Word, and when I ignore His commands. He longs for repentance and restoration. He does not want me to be afraid, but He does want my reverence. The choice lies with me. I can keep pretending God doesn’t see, or I can forsake my old ways and enjoy fellowship with Him.
Instead of pretending God doesn’t see, openly confess to Him and receive forgiveness.
Kathleen E. Dunlap lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and their dog, a Great Dane mix. She enjoys reading, crocheting, running, and journaling.
