And he said:
“The Lord roars from Zion,
And utters His voice from Jerusalem;
The pastures of the shepherds mourn,
And the top of Carmel withers.”
Amos 1:2
Let’s look at some background information. Amos is a lesser known book of the Bible 
and the man, Amos, is one of the minor prophets of the Bible. His name means “burden” or “burden bearer” and he was a man of burden as he delivered prophecies of judgment on the nations surrounding Israel and Israel itself. He lived about ten miles from Jerusalem and Bible scholars have dated his ministry between 750 and 760 BC, at the time of King Uzziah, when the nation of Israel had been divided into two nations for 150 years
Let’s look at the context of this verse. The first part of this passage deals with God’s judgment. The roar deals with God’s judgment toward the Gentile nations and then toward Judah and Israel. The people of Israel and Judah set up places of worship in other cities. This was a reminder that the true center of worship was Jerusalem. Amos described himself as a sheep raiser which meant he was a shepherd, not in the spiritual sense as Jesus was the great shepherd and he knew if God withheld rain, sent plagues or allowed foreign armies to invade, the land would suffer and the people of the land would suffer. Carmel was a mountain where Isaiah defeated the prophets of Baal. Amos is reminding the people of the Lord’s victory over idolatry.
So how does this verse correlate to today’s society?
The U.S. is experiencing a climate of protests and violence in our nation’s cities. The land is mourning with the destruction of buildings and businesses. The U.S. has had to overcome many obstacles from the beginning of the nation until now, but it has overcome those things through the prayers of the people. We live in hope that God will heal our land if we call out to Him.
What is your prayer for our country today?