Voice of Salvation radio station ministers to hurting people in Haiti

Saint Marc, Haiti

Friday, March 12, 2010

Nazarenes continue to find creative ways to minister to those affected by the January 12 earthquake in Haiti. Some of these ministries include inspirational radio broadcasts like those from Pierre Antoine Jacques, who runs the La Voix du Salut (Voice of Salvation) radio station out of his church in the city of Saint Marc. Jacques is superintendent of Lower Artibonite District, which has received tens of thousands of refugees from nearby Port-au-Prince.

The following is a portion of his message of comfort to Nazarene Christians after the earthquake. His message, "The Sovereignty and Providence of God," uses Lamentations 3:34-39 as its text.

God is the only creator of heaven and earth. As the psalmist David says in Psalm 24, "Lord of the earth and what it contains, and the world they inhabit." God is the master of the universe, which means he has control of everything. As Christians, we know that God is transcendent and immanent. His power is active. He responds whenever the need arises.

The earthquake is a natural phenomenon, a cataclysm like any other, yet God is in control. Nothing happens without the will of God. God has allowed this disaster for a special purpose and even for his glory. As a sovereign, he knows how to arrange circumstances to give us a new life and a different direction.

There are some who say the earthquake of January 12 was simply a natural disaster, some say it's a curse, others say it is a punishment for the sins of Haitians. As evangelical Christians we know that God can punish his children. However, God's will is not for the death of his children but for their repentance. We read in Ezekiel 18:32, "For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!"

But when we are disobedient to the will of God, he can destroy us. If we do not repent, he could beat us by his almighty hand. In the case of Nineveh, the city repented of its wickedness, and God forgave the city.

Perhaps Haiti is very rebellious to God's voice. Remember that there is corruption and crime in Haiti. God could have let us down or hid in the disaster. But that poses a question: Why is it that even the Christian church and the servants of God were also dropped by God? It was the same case in the time of the prophet Habakkuk. He asked God to punish people because of their sins. God's answered his prayer by punishing the just and the unjust. Habakkuk asked, "Lord, thou hast also punished even just among the people. Why?" The Lord replied that they just live by faith.

Our country was severely hit by the disaster. There were more than 225,000 dead, 300,000 maimed and one million people homeless. They are plunged in grief and anguish, and they are traumatized. All Haitian families are in mourning. Everyone has lost someone close to him or her, and some have lost all their relatives and are alone.

God in his sovereignty has allowed this to happen, but in his providence, he has a plan for repairing and rebuilding. He always made provision for his people. Just before the world began, he had a plan of redemption for mankind, sending his son to death to redeem us. Our God is Omniscient and Omnipotent. The heavens and earth are his.

It is true that tears are not yet dried, the physical and emotional wounds are not healed yet, but we know he can cure everything. The God we serve is compassionate and merciful. He will repair all Haitian families. He will respond as He did with Job and restore all lost property. He will heal our wounds and dry our tears.

We have a great God who is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and last. The Apostle John in Revelation 21:4 said, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

For the latest on Haitian church updates, Work and Witness teams, and what you can do to help, go to www.NazarenesHelpHaiti.com.

Click here for information about other radio ministries in the Caribbean.
--Caribbean Communications Office

 

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