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Written by Rev. Michael Holcomb
www.bibledays.org
I’m sure you’ve heard by now the comments of a certain well-known televangelist who declared that the 7.0 earthquake that has devestated Haiti this past Tuesday was the judgment of God because that island made a pact with the devil. Of course, with thousands dead and millions left homeless, that remark has sparked an uproar of protest, both in the secular world and in the Church.
I have two things to say: 1). When people are bleeding, crying in pain and grief, and lying dead in the middle of streets; and when helpers are scrambling to save lives and get emergency care to individuals, that is not the time to stand in a comfortable, removed place and talk about divine punishment! In this, Haiti’s desperate hour, the message and the work that will speak volumes of the light of Jesus Christ is charity and compassion.
2). Divine judgment is, indeed, a reality; but if ever disaster comes in that capacity, God’s habit is to warn people before He punishes them, when they are content and think they do not need God. An after-the-fact rebuke smells of human sanctimony, not divine justice. Yes, Haitians have had a terrible past of voodoo and witchcraft, but I personally have heard of no one whom the Lord spoke through forwarning Haiti. I can tell you this, if an individual was used prophetically prior to this horrific event (and I believe in the gift of prophecy), that individual would right now be doing all he or she could to lend a helping hand to the poor Haitians. Why? Because a true prophet grieves over sorrow as well as over sin.
Fellow believers, neither saint nor sinner in Haiti needs your pointed finger right now; they do, however, need your outstretched hand.
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