“Lamentations” for Haiti
We’ve all heard the news. We’ve all seen the pictures. We are all saddened and sobered by the catastrophe in Haiti. It’s humbling to think that in less than a minute a capital city was turned into rubble. Misery upon poverty! Let’s be praying for the Haitian people – for the bereaved, for the wounded, for the children, for the destitute. They need help, healing, hope, love, support and continued assistance. Let’s pray that the Lord will provide all that and more, and that He may use each one of us and many others as His instruments of “relief.”
When I first saw some images of the devastation in Port-au-Prince, I couldn’t help but think of the Bible book of Lamentations. Lamentations was written by Jeremiah who was an eye-witness to the devastation of Jerusalem in 586/7 BC. No, the city was not rocked by a 7.0 earthquake, but rocked by the mighty Babylonian army. The cause was different but the effect was the same. Desolation. A city in rubble. Still smoldering. Many dead. A few dazed survivors, including Jeremiah. And yet, the prophet finds hope amid the rubble of the once-great capital:
”But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” (Lam 3:22-24) No matter what happens to us, or to others, God is still faithful and His love never fails. We can put all our hope in Him!
Later, Jeremiah adds these words, “For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.” (Lam 3:31-33) What does it mean that God does not “willingly afflict or grieve” us? It means that He does not enjoy our suffering. It is not His plan for us. It is not what He has in store for us (Jer 29:11). Yes, for the time being He uses pain, problems, diseases, even natural disasters to let us know that all is not well between man and His Maker – and hopefully, to wake us up (As Job 36:15 says, “He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.”)
Finally, at the end of his “lamentations” (5:21), Jeremiah pleads to God for what people in ruins need: “Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!” True restoration is more than rebuilding structures and lives, it is being restored to a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Let’s pray that God will meet the Haitians’ short-term, long-term and ultimate needs!
Rich Howell
