"There's never been a moment
I was not held inside your arms
And there's never been a day when
You were not who you say you are
You're forever...
It don't matter what I'm walking through
Coz no matter where I'm going
There's never been a moment
That I was not loved by you"
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit the island of Haiti. The storm devastated much of the southern part of Haiti. As I am writing this, the death toll is already at 800 people, and I expect it to rise during the next week.
If I'm being honest, Monday night was filled with lots of prayer and anxieties, but not a lot of sleep. I don't just have friends in Haiti, I have family there.
Here I was, safe and sound in America, while my friends were taking cover under what little cover they had. I was helpless to do anything for them, and they were helpless in the storm.
Here is my journal entry from the night before Matthew hit:
" 'Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.' -Psalm 22:3-5
"Hurricane Matthew is going to hit Haiti. 5 or 6 years ago that statement wouldn't have mattered to me, but now it's like a knife to the gut. I am terrified about what's going to happen. Now, I've seen the dirt floors. Now, I've walked the trails that could be swept away. Now, I'm terrified. I don't even know what to say or how to pray for my family there. All I can say is Thy Will be done and please help us accept that will no matter what it may be..."
I have never had such a sense of relief as I did to find out that all my friends were okay. However, not all of Haiti was that lucky, and I am devastated for them. So, please continue to pray for the people of Haiti. Pray that those affected by the hurricane will seek the Lord. Pray that the whole country will have their hearts open to Jesus. Pray that rebuild will go smoothly and that aid will come quickly.
I wish I knew why God does the things He does even though I don't have the capacity to understand it. I don't know why He let 800 people die. I don't know why he let the dirt floors turn into a mudslide. But, I do know that his plan is perfect regardless if it looks perfect in our eyes. There truly has never been a moment that we were not loved by Him. And no matter what happens, He is with us and protects us in the calm and the storm.
"In the eye of the storm
You remain in control
And in the middle of the war
You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor
When my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me
In the eye of the storm"
