TSMSS - In Christ Alone - Haiti

^{Psalm 11: 1-7 (The Holy Bible, ESV)}

¹In the LORD I take refuge;how can you say to my soul,

    "Flee like a bird to your mountain,²for behold, the wicked bend the bow;

    they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;

³if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

 ⁴ The LORD is in his holy temple;  the LORD’s throne is in heaven;
   his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
⁵The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
⁶Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
⁷For the LORD is righteous;he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

 

We've seen the gruesome images, we've heard of the dark history of the island of Haiti. Some people say calamity is a result of their sins. If so, why are we still alive here in the Americas with our sins of greed, consumerism, self-righteousness, arrogance....do I really need to go on? 

I actually know some Haitians. And actually, they are just like me, human and yes, extraordinary. My son's greatest spiritual influence has been our youth pastor from Haiti. He lost 12 members of his extended family.

One thing is sure, God was and still is sovereign. I invite you to go listen to our pastor Sunder Krishnan speak on when the foundations are destroyed.

The following 2 excerpts show the results of calamity in our lives:

1.  When stripped of everything, when the clutter is gone, clarity arrives, and we realize our complete dependence on God.

2.  Calamity brings us to our knees in humble submission with tender hearts to worship. Nothing else matters.

The Toronto Star headline, Jan.21, 2010  read, "Seven Days Later...ALIVE".

The story: Zizi, a 69-year-old domestic worker, said she prayed constantly during her week in the ruined residence of Haiti's Roman Catholic archbishop. A Mexican team pulled her to safety Tuesday.

She did speak back and forth with a vicar also trapped. But he fell silent after a few days. Then, "I talked only to my boss, God. I didn't need any more humans.''

~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Photo credit: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images)

From Leah Beidler comes this report of worshipping  in the rubble:

Tonight I was reading in Isaiah and I came to the verse, “I will not stop praying for her until her righteous shines like the dawn.”  My prayer is that in this time of mourning, death, and suffering, people come together throughout the nations and worship and pray for her (Haiti’s) righteousness.  Tonight I attended a meeting that is working to mobilize the Haitian community in Boston.  My heart broke as I surveyed the room and saw about 200 people, many still waiting to get contact in Haiti to see if family is alive.  A young Haitian woman took the podium and said, “One thing Haitians are known for is their strength.”  And tonight my heart smiled as I read a news article about how they could hear Haitians worshiping Jesus as they were trapped in the rubble.  In the midst of this suffering, there is great worshiping happening, and I ask that you join the Haitian people and our communities in this prayer and worship.

So can we join our Haitian brothers and sisters and sing with them and pray with them for healing, restoration and redemption, that out of this rubble will rise beacons of light and righteousness, a new unshakeable foundation that will transform this island.

 

In Christ Alone.

Please pop by Amy's to hear more songs that minister.