Shaken by the Love of God

"'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you." —Isaiah 54:10

On Tuesday the earth could take it no more. Two opposing forces stressed and strained against one another until one gave way with a destructive lurch. In one moment the destruction that took years, decades, and perhaps centuries to build was released upon the people of Haiti.

As we watch it unfold on the television, as cable networks and radio stations cover the aftermath, it is tempting to turn away. After all, there are pressing matters to attend to in our own back yard. I encourage you, however, to fix your attention on the tragedy. Gaze into the eyes of those who have lost everything. Hear the cry of the child beneath the rubble. And prepare yourself for the aftershocks.

Can you feel the shifting foundations? If you will listen and look, if you will see the people of Haiti now in their need, then God will shake your world too. God is calling out in a loud voice to all who will listen. God is calling out for people to hear his voice and unleash the force of his love to a hurting people.

Just as the force of the earth shaking brought about destruction and death to the people of Haiti, so too the force of our Hearts shaking through the mercy of God can bring about life, healing and hope.

As Bono, from the band U2, recently said,
Whatever thoughts we have about God, who He is, most will agree that God has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with a virus that will take both their lives. God is under the rubble in the cries we hear during wartime. God, my friends, is with the poor. And God is with us if we are with them. This is not a burden, this is an adventure. Don’t let anyone tell you it cannot be done.
Homework this week: Find a way, any way to help the people of Haiti. Make a health kit for UMCOR, donate money to a reputable charity, and fall to your knees to pray that God would meet the needs of those effected by this tragedy.

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