Tremors In The Land

Tremors in the Land

Sunday, January 17, 2010

By Pastor James May

Tremors are rocking our world everyday. There is not one day that passes, as we draw ever nearer to the coming of the Lord, when the earth is silent, for even the very ground upon which we walk is crying out for deliverance from the power of sin that has gripped it since the fall of Adam in the Garden, thousands of years ago.

Romans 8:22-23, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

I chose the word “Tremors” as the title of this message because it means that there is an involuntary shaking. Tremors are caused by a number of things such as fear, weakness and even excitement. All of creation is trembling in anticipation. It can be seen through the trembling of the ground like that which has stricken the poor country of Haiti this week. It can be seen in the economic woes of a world on the brink of financial collapse. It can be seen in the behavior of people everywhere, whether in acts of anger an protest; or in acts of prayer and praise. This trembling is a involuntary action on behalf of some and an action by choice by others; but all of it added together is a sign that something of tremendous magnitude is about to happen.

In the forces of nature that trembling is seen as even the very earth moves beneath our feet. The United States Geological Survey states on its website that millions of earthquakes occur every year but that most are too small to detect. It also states that there are at least 50 earthquakes every day and usually more than 20,000 each year that are strong enough to be recorded. They range from a magnitude of zero to ten. The one that destroyed Haiti and killed an estimated 200,000 people was measured as an 8.0. It’s like taking this building and shaking it 8 feet or more, up and down and back and forth. Not much would be left so now you can see why so many were hurt or killed in Haiti.

It has been in the news that Pat Robertson blamed Haiti’s woes on their ancestor’s decision to sell out to the devil back in the 1700’s to get out from under the rule of the French. Now I don’t really think that Mr. Robertson meant that Haiti didn’t deserve help from what I have seen, and he expressed a lot of concern for the people of Haiti. They don’t need criticism and judgmental attitudes or condemning speeches. They need all the help that the world can give them.

I was thinking about that, and although I don’t believe that Pat Robertson meant what people are saying, we should note that God does judge for sin. But what makes us think that Haiti and it’s voodoo practices are any worse than the United States and our efforts to kick God out of our society altogether? Is their sin any worse than ours? Do they deserve punishment any more than we do? I think not.

Someone else said that this disaster could be good for the people of Haiti because it will give them a chance to start over and build a better and stronger society. Well why don’t we just give them a good kick while they are down and say that it’s their own fault for living in Haiti. They should have moved or done a better job in building their homes and buildings to hold up better.

It’s true that their housing is substandard and that they are a very poor society, and these circumstances only added to the number that were killed, but its too late to point fingers of blame. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Help them; don’t criticize them.

Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Does God send judgment for sin? Of course He does, and His judgments are right, but Haiti doesn’t deserve judgment any more than any of the rest of us.

Jesus was talking to his disciples in Luke chapter 13 when he made it a point to say that not all things bad that happen to people are because of an act of God’s judgment for sin.

Luke 13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.