Being God's hands in Haiti

Yesterday, a reader commented on our Facebook page that she thought it was ironic that this week's ec devotions all dealt with the idea of injustice and what we as Christians can do to fight it when the nation of Haiti was trying to pick up from the devastation of an earthquake.

We planned those devotions months ago. A writer took wrote the devotions; we edited them, Jen (our graphic designer) made them look good; and we sent the magazine off to the printer. Months and months ago. But God, being who He is, knew exactly which truths from His Word we would need to hear this week. It's not just a coincidence that this week's devos deal with fighting injustice; that's just God.

But the fact of the devastation in Haiti remains. Orphanages are in shambles; families are separated; food, water, and basic supplies have been hard to come by. The pictures break our hearts. Children in pain. Mothers who have lost all of their children. People who don't know if their family members are alive, hurt, or dead. Fathers holding sick babies. Morgues full of lifeless bodies. Poverty. Need. Hunger.

In Matthew 25, Jesus told us that whatever we did to help “the least of these,” was also something we did for Him (Matt. 25:40-45). It's clear from the whole of Scripture that as believers we're to help others as we can. And today, the people of Haiti need help.

The International Mission Board recently told us this:

“Southern Baptists are mobilizing to assess disaster relief needs after the largest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti the evening of Jan. 12.

“The initial Southern Baptist disaster relief effort will be led by Florida Baptists, who have had ministry relationships in Haiti for more than 20 years and currently have six staff members who live and work in the country, said Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response (BGR), a Southern Baptist relief and development organization. The International Mission Board does not have long-term personnel stationed in the country.

“Initial funding for the relief effort will be provided by the IMB’s disaster relief fund which operates on a “dollar in, dollar out” basis, which means that 100% of the money donated is used to provide disaster relief. Contributions to the relief effort can be made online at gobgr.org

“Apart from donating to the disaster relief effort via gobgr.org, you can help greatly by joining in focused prayer for Haiti’s 9 million people, more than 80 percent of whom live below the poverty line, said David Brown, who with his wife, Jo, directs BGR work in the Americas.” (To see the full article, click here.)

You can speak hope into the lives of people in need. You can be an example to the world of how much God loves us. Even if you are just a teenager!

For more information on how to give, see Jen's latest “Music Minute.”