FIRST REFLECTIONS AND ACTIONS FOR HAITI
If you have ever walked through a tragedy in your community, you understand the important role that trauma counsellors play to help a community accept, heal and move forward in redemptive ways – together. The counselors of Paraclete will walk alongside and help others work through their grief, with the presence and help of the Holy Spirit, THE Paraclete. Perhaps this service will bring the spiritual comfort while the relief agencies address the structural and physical needs of this dear country – Haiti chéri.
Read the full article in this Newsletter from Christian Direction and to visit their site click here.
Is Haiti under the Judgment of God?
On national TV last week a comment was made linking the current disaster in Haiti to a "pact with the devil" the nation made many years ago. It was indicated that the earthquake was the latest in a series of disasters Haiti has had since this pact was formed. Further it was suggested that relief would come when the nation turned to God. No Scripture was used to support this theory although the devil was quoted.
We need to consider such an assertion in the light of Scripture and perhaps the best one to turn to in response to this statement is Luke 13:1-5. The context of this scene is that some Jews referred to a slaughter of certain Galilean Jews in the Temple at the hands of the Romans. Jesus had just been speaking of judgment Luke 12:54-59 and it was a common belief of Jews at the time that catastrophe was the result of the judgment of God. Hence this incident was put to Jesus. (See John 9:1-2). Some spiritual busybodies wanted to know if the Galileans who died were especially great sinners in order to suffer in this manner.
Jesus' response is curious as He does not deal directly with the cause for human suffering. He does not tell them why the murders occurred. Rather He calls for repentance in light of the brevity of life. He clearly insists that the slaughter by political enemies is not a judgment of God because the ones slaughtered were not greater sinners than others. Then He goes on to refer to a natural disaster when the tower of Siloam at the southeast portion of Jerusalem's wall collapsed killing a number of Jews. Jesus insists that the victims of this natural disaster were not any more sinful than anyone else in Jerusalem at the time. So whether it is war or earthquake, Jesus tells the people all are sinners in need of repentance and we should not think those who die in disasters are greater sinners than the ones who survive.
Hence we are not to look on the Haitians as greater sinners than us and somehow under God's special judgment and deserving of their lot. We are no better than the Haitians. The fact is that due to the way the earth and its teutonic plates work some people in places like Haiti and southern California for example are at greater risk of earthquakes than we who happen to live elsewhere. It is no different than people for example, who live in African countries being at risk of snake bites that are deadly. If you live there you are at risk in a way we in Ontario are not at risk. It has nothing to do with lifestyle it is all a matter of the structure of the earth or your location on it.
Missionaries died in Haiti in the earthquake, was that a judgment of God on them? Certainly not! They just were in the wrong place at the wrong time. God does allow His own people to suffer and many wonderful Christian missionaries have suffered through the centuries for serving God.
When I hear people making intimations about judgment on people in such situations I think about Job and his erstwhile comforters. What a pitiful lot they were. Here was a saint of God in horrible circumstances, suffering in an unimaginable manner and all they can do is call him a sinner and tell him that his suffering is a result of personal sin. They were ignorant and undeserving of the presence of such a man. The Lord rebuked them for making judgment on the one who suffered. Let us be careful about judging others who suffer because God will rebuke and judge us!
This article is not to answer questions on why God allows suffering, good and lengthy books have been written on the subject. It is written to give you Jesus' view of how to see the people who suffer and how to respond to such disasters.
Jesus views the Haitians as being no more sinful than us in our safe secure homes. We are all sinners and we should look at our own need spiritually and not be judgmental about others. Leave that to Jesus.
Our first response is to see the brevity of life and repent of our own sins and seek God's forgiveness for our transgressions.
Finally and obviously we should be giving sacrificially to help the ones who suffer. "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord" (NIV).
Gordon Rumford
Jan. 19, 2010.