On a recent trip to Haiti I was once again
overwhelmed by the poverty, pollution, and devastation that exist in that
island nation. The last time I was there
was November of 2009 … two months before the earthquake that destroyed so much
of Port au Prince and other cities. The
interesting thing was that, despite the ruin, I could also see
improvements. Traffic flowed
better. Working stoplights (four of
them!) were strategically located in the city.
The roads were better and travel was easier.
Some of my team members, seeing Haiti for the
first time, were rather depressed by the state of the country as we
traveled. Questions – valid questions! –
were forming in their minds. “How do we
help in the midst of all this? What
difference can we make to so much need?
Why isn’t someone doing more?
Where is the Haitian Government?”
Over dinner one evening, one lady suggested
that what Haiti needs is a strong leader who will make them take pride in their
land and clean it up. I disagreed, and
still do. In a land that is rife with
corruption, the strong leader is often the most corrupt. The only hope for Haiti – and the only hope
for any nation, city, or neighborhood; any family or individual is God. And He is at work.
Psalm 46 reminds us of this. In the face of all the problems we face;
slipping morality, declining economies, eroding families, and so much more –
God is our refuge and strength. Because
God is not ignoring us far away in Heaven, but He is near and active through
His Word and Spirit, we can face struggles with courage and hope. God comforts us with His presence, reminding
us that He sent Jesus to be Immanuel; which means, “God with Us.”
I am convinced that the only way Haiti will
change for the better, is as the people of God, living out God’s love, continue
to care for one another and their neighbors.
God works through his people to remind the hurting, lost, and desperate
that, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” This, rooted in the message of the extreme
love and amazing salvation God has won for us in Jesus’ death and resurrection,
is what is needed to transform Haiti, just as it transformed the world some
two-thousand years ago.
Someday, there will be no more war,
corruption, interpersonal violence, hunger, fear or pain. All that is evil will pass away. When God brings desolations on the earth,
breaks the bow and shatters the spear, and burns the chariots with fire, the
old order of power and oppression will be done.
O, for that day to come quickly!
In the meantime, it is in the face of such need and hurt that we hear
the exhortation, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will
be exalted in the earth!”
“Be still,” is a reminder that people are not
changed by our efforts, but by the work of God in their hearts. “Be still,” prompts us to acknowledge that we
are participating in someone else’s mission – God’s mission. The pause is a confession that our work is
done, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah
4:6 ESV) Indeed, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the
God of Jacob is our fortress.” So we
pause and then go back to our work remembering that salvation, hope, life, and
all that is good in this world is not secured by our efforts, and yet God uses
us to bring those things to others – in Haiti, in our cities, to our neighbors,
and even to our families in our own homes.
Lord, I do not always remember that You are with me, and I sometimes feel
that if something is to be it must be up to me.
Remove my self-centered thinking and replace it with the clear vision
that You are at work, and then empower me to be your servant, your tool, to
bring good to others. Amen.
Comments