Amos 8:11-12 AMP
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “When I will send hunger over the land, Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water, But rather [a hunger] for hearing the words of the LORD. [12] “People shall stagger from sea to sea [to the very ends of the earth] And from the north even to the east; They will roam here and there to seek the word of the LORD [longing for it as essential for life], But they will not find it.

Famine is the general scarcity of food, water, or any substance. It is the lack or want of provisions.
Famine may occur due to lack of rain,
Israel had rejected the words of the Lord from Amos. They will go into exile, where there will be no word from the Lord at all. In its absence, they will find that the revelation from God had been their most precious possession, now, they cannot find it.
Just like Israel of those days, this generation is experiencing and suffering the effect of famine of the word of God, the time now where the word of God has become very scarce.
The Lord says He’s bringing a famine but not a physical, material, or agricultural famine but a spiritual famine. A spiritual thirst for the ways and things of the spirit, a famine of the authentic word of God.
People have repeatedly rejected God’s words but when situations beyond their control arise, they will suddenly be unable to find clarity as to what God is saying because they have never treated the word as vital to their lives.
But the problem in our churches is not that people aren’t coming to church or all the other ungodly and unrighteous characters exhibited by believers, but the problem is the lack of spiritual vitality among God’s people and a great love and zeal for knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and living for Him! Leonard Ravenhill said, “People who are not praying are straying; preachers who are not praying are playing…We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers, lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.” Wow! How true.
We are a generation that seeks men of God, raise prayer points, and seek prayer contractors, a generation that does not seek the word or the God of the word on their own.
When we are hungry or thirsty, we seek food or water to quench and satisfy the need, we don’t wait or seek for someone else to offer us what we seek, so says Psalm 143:6, it is a natural action to stretch out our hands seeking what we need. All in distress, or under the influence of eager desire, naturally extend our hands and arms, as if to catch our need. As a thirsty land—Parched and burned by the sun, longs for rain, so does my thirsty soul for the living God.
We have become a generation of desolation, drought beaten and desperately looking for refreshment, revival, and succour.
The message Amos had for the people of his time, is the same for us today. God maintains His government over all nations, and that only those who have ears open to hear the word of God, hold on to the word spoken and receives it.
Spiritual famine can only be eradicated by waiting on the Lord and placing our confidence in Him, Isaiah 26:8.
Amos says: we will run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord and will not find it. There is no substitute for the Word of God. There’s famine in the land, do not be caught out.
Shalom