(Jesus said) "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10

What would I do?

Years ago I read the stories of pastors who had been asked to serve their congregations and communities during times of plague and continuous warfare. The books spoke of the courage they showed in the face of frustrating and almost hopeless circumstances. I wondered what would I do if I were ever placed into such a situation? The passing years have not changed the question. I still wonder.

What would I do?

Haiti's recent earthquake has shown what people will do. The severity of the quake and the inability of the world to provide the most basic of humanitarian aid and relief has shown what people will do when necessities aren't accessible. It shows what they will do when society and authority have lost control.

What will people do?

The daily television reports have shown us, in high-definition, what we would do. We have seen machete-wielding gangs take over the streets, but we have also seen spontaneous parades during which people praise the Lord for their deliverance.
And what have the pastors done?

They've done some amazing things. For years we preachers have picked up some pretty bad press. Sometimes it was deserved, sometimes not. But watching the reports coming from Haiti I have seen ministers pulling the Lord's people together with enthusiastic words of encouragement. One pastor calls out: "Think of our new village here as the house of Jesus Christ, not the scene of a disaster . . . ."

If their church building is no more, if the pastor is dead or missing, laypeople of faith are coming forward. As one encouraged, "As I still breathe, I have faith."
What would I do?

I pray the Holy Spirit would reach out and uphold me. I pray He would watch over my family, friends, and the faithful. I pray we all, as long as we could still breathe, continue to have faith in the Savior whose life was spent so we might be saved for a better life than here.

What will we do? It occurs to me if those things are worth praying for in times of a disaster, then they are also worth praying for when our lives have been blessed.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, in Haiti and here bring light to darkness, hope to ruined lives, and peace to troubled and worried hearts. In Haiti and here, teach us to look past this ruin so we might see the joy that comes from the peace You alone can give -- the peace which passes human understanding and can cover the most devastating of earthquakes. In Your Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Job 41-42    Matthew 16

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