Have you ever stopped to think about the prophet Amos? His book in the Bible falls under the category many call the “Minor Prophets”. He was not actually a prophet, but God used him to declare the word of the LORD to King Jeroboam II in Israel and to King Uzziah in Judah. The primary prophet to Jeroboam II was Jonah (see 2 Kings 14:25-26), but as you probably remember, Jonah took a deep-sea detour through the Mediterranean on his way to preach to the city of Nineveh. So, while Jonah was away, the Lord called Amos up out of his comfort zone, from his farm and pastures, to speak a word to Jeroboam and the people of Israel instead.

“I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’” (Amos 7:14-15)

The divinely emboldened Amos did not mince his words to Jeroboam. He called out Israel’s wickedness as he saw it and declared, “Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive from their own land.” (Amos 7:11) But the response he received from Jeroboam and his priest, Amaziah, was vastly different from the response Jonah was getting from the King of Nineveh. Amaziah shouted at Amos, “Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, and there prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is the royal residence.” (Amos 7:12-13)
Has God called you out of your comfort zone to do something you do not feel qualified to do? Has God given you a task that seems bigger and more difficult than you ever envisioned it could be? It was not easy for Amos the introverted farmer to become an extroverted prophet, speaking boldly as the LORD gave him utterance, but God knew the potential that laid within him and equipped him for the task. And God is keenly aware of your hesitations and limitations too, but just like Amos, God would not have called you if He didn’t know the potential you have embedded deep within you. Take courage! Step out on faith. God will equip you for His task and as you yield to His direction He will mold you into the instrument He wants you to be.
May you be divinely emboldened as you tap into your courage to step out of your comfort zone today.