Where's the hope in all this?
Images on our tvs from Haiti have disturbed and hurt us and if you are like me cost sleep. One image that did give hope was the sight of Christians worshiping God in the streets. Paul who when whipped and imprisoned and left to rot and die sang praises to God wrote: "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who ...fall asleep (die), or to greive like the rest of men who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13)It is not that we shouldn't grieve but that we shouldn't grieve like those with no hope. Christian hope is a sure hope - a certainty! We have a certain hope because of Jesus' promise that those who trust and believe in Him shall have eternal life.
Paul continued: We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep IN HIM. (v14) He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him (5:10)
That is why those people in Haiti are able to worship their God in the most difficult of circumstances!
"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philipians 3:4)
Comments
Who’s this post for? The people of Haiti? Or is it a crass attempt to skate over the ‘Problem of Pain’ and let us just praise Jesus and it’ll all be okay.
I suspect this is more about you than anything else – but then isn’t that often the case with the religiously inclined...? Given the scale of this disaster, the ‘so what if someone dies – everything is hunky-dory if you believe in Jesus...’ approach when as many as 40,000 people die and 2 million people homeless and destitute is, don’t you think, a little offensive and insensitive?
Well, I suppose as long you feel a little better about yourself, contemporary Christianity is doing what it says on the label... Hope you have a better night’s sleep...
Thanks for your support.
"I suspect this is more about you than anything else "
How sad it is that you come on this blog and make a judgement about me (yet again)- and just when I thought we were making progress in our relationship.
It is about a witness to the power and glory of God. It is aboutthe strength given to Christians to cope with the most horendous circumstances. It is about a peace from God that is 'beyond all human understanding'.
I believe it is balanced: I don't say we mustn't grieve OF COURSE WE GRIEVE - but we grieve with a sure hope! It is the sure hope that allows David to ask the question "How long oh Lord - have you abandoned me forever?" then continues "BUT I TRUST IN YOUR UNFAILING LOVE - BECAUSWE YOU@VE BEEN GOOD TO ME! YOU'VE BEEN GOOD TO ME!"
'crass?' I suppose it will sound crass to those who have never experienced such a peace.
Take care
Neil
I don’t really care to be honest. Peace or self-delusion?
Please be honest and tell me if you did not question the goodness of God when you saw news of this disaster? Then I presume you saw some Christians ‘praising God’ and you found yourself feeling a little heartened? Fine – but please don’t presume millions of people are praising God. If you were unfortunate enough to find yourself in the Nazi death camps, would have gone around cheering people up telling them it doesn’t matter that you’re covered in lice, you’re starving, you have no dignity, neighbours in your over crowded hut are committing cannibalism to stay alive and eventually you’re going to be stripped naked, forced into a place where you’re told you’re going to have a shower and then be poisoned by hydrogen cyanide gas – not a quick death, it took about 20 minutes and every orifice frothed by the end of it. Would you clap them on the back and say: ‘I suppose it will sound crass to those who have never experienced such a peace [as I have]’
Though I suppose with the Nazis or Stalin, or Pol Pot, there is a regime or a person to blame. In some ways it is even harder to understand a natural disaster when a loving God is supposed to have the whole world in his hands!
It was a dreadful thing that happened in a country that has suffered terrible hardship and has a terrible past. But let’s be frank – things like this happen every day and we just don’t hear about them.
I would be genuinely interested to hear your theological wisdom on this disaster instead of reading trite Bible verses (indeed it was this hope, that caused me to read your entry in the first place!). Please, please share with me and your other readers why you think your friend was instantly cured of cancer by Jesus and yet 40,000 people were wiped off the face of the earth in a blink of an eye? And these are probably the lucky ones – those left seriously injured or disabled are most likely in for a life time of misery in a country without the infrastructure to offer them a chance of full recovery or independent lives.
I have experienced ‘such peace’ as the result of a disciplined prayer life. Whether that was from God or self-delusion I am unsure – but I have the guts to say that. What you seem to me to be saying is that the Christians in Haiti (and I suspect you mean ‘your brand’ of Christians in Haiti) have been blessed and you can take comfort in that. It is all a little emotionally masturbatory really.
I note you haven’t published my comments on your post on the 13th January which proffered a reasonable theological explanation as to why ‘the self’ often clouds our sight when discussing or relating to God... It is a pity, as I think they would be useful here.
As for making a judgement about you – as I’ve said before, if you don’t want to be judged, don’t write a blog – or if you don’t want comments, then don’t allow them. Blogs are essentially written for the gratification of the author – if you dispute that, then I am afraid you really do lack self-perspicacity. It is obvious that people will judge you by what you write. What’s your problem?
Grace and Peace:
L.L.