Haiti

In light of what has happened in Haiti, I felt called to suspend the regular 10/2 Grow posting for today.

Instead I think of Psalm 46:1-3.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

As most of you know I have been to Haiti and have seen first-hand the extreme poverty of the people and the country. We are weeks away from a second mission trip, but now that trip is likely to be canceled. For Haiti to go through the horrific events of the earthquake which struck Tuesday afternoon is beyond imagination.

Rather than reading through a devotion today, I ask that you spend the 10 minutes in prayer – praying for the people of Haiti, and praying for yourself to see where the Lord might direct you in how to respond to the incredible need Haiti is in.

Invitation 4

Psalm 23:4-5

While in Haiti working at the orphanage we were told not to walk the streets by ourselves since Port-au-Prince is a dangerous place. But one day we had no choice. We had to get from one house to the other and there was no ride and no escort. So we began walking the half mile back to the main house, and we were admittedly a little afraid.

Yet, as we stepped outside the gate to begin our walk, someone called to us and ran to catch up with us. It was a local artist, a friend to the family operating the orphanage. He accompanied us all the way from one building to the other and we were quite safe.

What comfort is offered in Psalm 23:4? Where does that comfort come from? What does God offer us?

It may be a challenge to trust in the goodness of God at times. It may seem that we are confronted with hopeless situations, a sure and definite hardship. Yet, if we can trust in God, we will find protection and comfort. We need not fear evil.

With God’s presence surrounding us there is no harm that can befall us. We must trust and accept the invitation from God to be protected and kept safe.

And more than just safety and assurance, God invites us to partake of His table. In spite of our enemies and foes, in spite of hardships and challenges, God sets a table for us. We are invited to be a part of His plenty, to enjoy His good gifts.

And these gifts come in abundance. Our heads are anointed with oil. Anointing is an act to mark a person as special, as set apart, covered, in a sense, in holiness.

And our cup of goodness is not just full, it is full to overflowing. The love and mercy of God pours out in such abundance that there is not room enough to hold it all.

God prepares and invites. We must simply accept and come to the table.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What valley are you walking in? Can you trust God to walk with you?

Our Crucifixion 2

1 Peter 4:12-13

This was one of the devotions we shared while we were in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, during our mission trip. We gathered in the evening and this passage was read after a particularly difficult day of hard work and exposure to the quality of life we were seeing around us.

What should not be a surprise? Instead, how should we react?

Life as a Christian is no bed of roses. There is certainly a joy and peace that comes in being a child of God and a servant of Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus should be a comfort and an assurance to each of us.

But to truly follow Jesus means that we must imitate Christ in every way. This means that we share love as Jesus did; we offer hope and comfort as Jesus did; but we also endure hardships as Jesus did.

It is unlikely that we will suffer in the same way that Jesus suffered on the cross, but we should suffer that longing and desire to bring hope and joy to others. We should be willing to be uncomfortable – physically and emotionally – to serve God.

That was what we were going through in Haiti. We were certainly out of our comfort zone in many ways, but we did it willingly because we wanted to be servants of our Lord. We wanted to do good work for fellow human beings, and we were willing to give up comforts, at least for a little while, for the ultimate good of others.

This should be our attitude as Christians. The gift of salvation and eternal life that Jesus has given allows us the freedom of living a good and holy life. But it also comes with the responsibility of doing what Jesus did – sacrificing, enduring pain and discomfort, persisting through trials and hardships, and doing it all so that others may benefit.

We will likely not be crucified as Christ was on the cross, but we should be willing to crucify our own sinful desires and selfish wants, to put them to death so that we may serve.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What painful trial might you endure for the service of God?