This was forwarded to me, it comes from Global Advance’s newsletter. I found it to be an excellent balanced perspective on the Haiti crisis:
Thoughts on the Disaster in Haiti by David Shibley.
The world has been shocked to see the devastation of an entire nation as a massive earthquake seems to have had its epicenter in the very densely populated downtown area of Port-au-Prince , Haiti ’s capital city. Already one of the poorest nations on Earth, this most recent horror has greatly compounded the agonies facing this island nation.
Calamities prompt us to ask, “Why?” There are no pat answers. A complete answer will come in heaven when all our questions will be fully resolved by our Father who loves us. Until then we may not be able to understand fully why such tragedies occur, but it’s important that we anchor our attitudes in Scripture. Here are several heart attitudes we should maintain.
1. Show compassion. Christians need to be the first responders in any crisis. God’s heart is for people. Every human being should feel a natural humanitarian impulse to help. But compassion is compounded in us as believers because “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Ro. 5:5). The Bible calls us to identify with those who suffer. We are to “weep with those who weep” (Ro. 12:15).
Christians should lead the world in responding to human need – and we do. It is a dazzling testimony when Christians rush to meet the needs of all who suffer, no matter what their faith. At the same time other religions are often sluggish in aiding their own adherents, if they respond at all. Our love speaks volumes. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).
2. Be slow to judge. In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti I heard some people say this was judgment on the nation. That is not for us to determine. It is true that two places in the Western Hemisphere that have been hit hardest by natural disasters – New Orleans and Haiti – are also the two areas where the occultic practice of voodoo has been most prevalent in the Western Hemisphere. And it is true that in 1791 a group of Haitian slaves plotting revolt against the French officially dedicated the nation to Satan. But it is also true that in 1997 many Haitian Christians gathered to renounce this act with repentance, prayer, and fasting. Today, statistics indicate that at least 22 percent of Haiti ’s people are evangelical Christians, and the number is rising. We need to remember that many Christians as well lost their lives in this disaster. I know of one Bible school in Port-au-Prince that lost 30 students.
We seem to need a place to pin the blame for tragedies we cannot understand. This was the case when the disciples saw a blind man and immediately assumed his condition was because of someone’s sin. “Who sinned,” they asked Jesus, “this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied that the man’s blindness was not because of the man’s sin or his parents’ (Jn. 9:1-3). It is humanity’s great thief, the devil, who comes “to steal, kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10).
3. Be quick to repent. Too often we cast aspersions on others without examining our own hearts. It was a common belief in Jesus’ day that the men who suffered sudden death when a tower fell on them were worse sinners than others. Jesus rejected such twisted reasoning. “Do you think they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem ? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Lu. 13:5). These are tough words from our Lord. But they call us to examine our own hearts before we judge the spiritual condition of others.
4. Remember that the earth is under the curse of sin. Not only did man fall with Adam’s sin but the earth itself was affected. The Bible says that the world “groans and labors in birth pangs” (Ro. 8:22). The result is the actual shifting of the earth that produces natural disasters. The fact is our planet is not yet restored. We look toward Christ’s coming rule when there will be “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pe. 3:13).
5. See natural disasters as a “wake-up call”. Jesus promised there would be an increase in natural convulsions just prior to His return. These phenomena would include “earthquakes in many parts of the world” (Mt. 24:7 NLT). These tragic events call us to “prepare to meet your God.” How should we respond to large-scale human disasters?
- Pray for those who suffer. Just as this earthquake caused shockwaves throughout Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic , your prayers can reverberate to the ends of the earth. There is no distance in prayer. The Bible says to “open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die” (Prov. 31:8). Your prayers can truly make a world of difference.
- Give generously. An important way to show heart-felt compassion is by giving to help alleviate suffering. When disasters strike, we honor the Lord by giving financially to Christian relief organizations that provide humanitarian aid to the victims. Compassion is measured in tangible ways such as giving and volunteering to help meet the needs of the victims of calamities. “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).
- Pray that God will use this tragedy to bring people to Him. Many survivors are groping for answers. Those without Christ not only have been stripped of life’s basic necessities, they also have no hope. In tragedy’s aftermath many hearts are open to Jesus. He is the great “shelter in the time of storm” (Psa. 61:2-3.)
- Recommit to the urgency of evangelism. Suddenly lives can be snatched into eternity. This should press us to do all we can, while we can, to reach people for Christ. There is always a holy imperative in evangelism and missions. “Night is coming when no one can work” (Jn. 9:4).
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled . . . Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psa. 46:1-2, 10).
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This article is based on a previous article written in January 2005 in the wake of the tsunami that hit twelve Asian nations. Global Advance is monitoring the situation in Haiti through two trusted missions organizations, one based in Haiti and the other in the Dominican Republic. As a missions organization ourselves, we are sending funds to be utilized for relief through these two on-site ministries. We will seek ways to encourage and equip Haitian pastors and Christian businesspersons in the days and months ahead.
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Thanks for sharing this article…It is easy to judge the situation, without using Scripture to balance the equation (in our flesh)…Thanks for the sobering message, which brings me to repetence and awareness of my sin.
How devestating that a 6.1 mag tremor hit again just yesterday (after the writing of your post)…It does make you wonder about a lot of things generally speaking (we are not in control)…but we must seek God and be encouraged by his word.