Key Verses
4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
5 saying,
‘When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
and practise deceit with false balances,
6 buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling the sweepings of the wheat.’
11 The time is surely coming, says the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.
Reflection Questions
What are you most hungry for—and how are you trying to fill that hunger?
“Give your hungry heart to God …. Don’t be a hungry ghost anymore.”
- How do you experience inner emptiness or longing?
- What have you wanted or desired that didn’t truly nourish your soul?
How do you see the “hungry ghost” dynamic playing out in our culture or society?
“They trample on the needy … and practice deceit with false balances.”
- Where do you see people, institutions, or systems trying to fill inner emptiness through power, greed, or exploitation?
- How does this affect you personally or spiritually?
What is your “summer fruit” — the spiritual gifts God is growing in you?
Pomegranates (righteousness), Grapes (joy), Dates (vitality), Figs (peace)
- Which of these fruits do you feel God is cultivating in your life?
- How can you nurture these gifts instead of striving for false abundance?
Have you ever felt a “famine of hearing the word of the Lord”?
“I will send a famine … not of bread … but of hearing the words of the Lord.”
- What does spiritual emptiness feel like for you?
- What practices or experiences have helped you reconnect with God’s voice?
What daily habits can help you remember: ‘I have enough. I am enough’?
“Sit comfortably … with each inhale: I have enough … with each exhale: I am enough.”
- How might this simple practice change your mindset or heart?
- What other ways can you practice spiritual contentment and trust?
Prayer Prompts
A prayer to offer my hungry heart to God
“God, I bring you the hunger I’ve tried to fill with lesser things…”
- Offer your deepest longings and desires to God.
- Ask for the grace to trust that only God can truly satisfy your heart.
A prayer for release from false fulfillment
“God, free me from chasing after things that cannot satisfy…”
- Name the habits, desires, or attachments that leave you feeling empty.
- Pray for freedom from the cycle of craving and consuming.
A prayer to be filled with spiritual fruits that sustain me
“God, fill me with righteousness, joy, vitality, and peace…”
- Invite God to grow the “summer fruits” of righteousness, joy, vitality, and peace in your life.
- Ask for wisdom and strength to cultivate these gifts daily.
A prayer to hear God’s voice in a noisy world
“God, speak into the famine of my heart…”
- Ask for open ears to hear God’s word amid life’s distractions and spiritually dry seasons.
- Pray for a heart attentive to justice, mercy, and truth.
A prayer of "enoughness" and trust
“God, help me live in the truth that I have enough … I am enough ….”
- Practice quiet trust in God’s sufficiency.
- Ask for peace in knowing you are loved, provided for, and held by God’s grace.
