God Is Sovereign Over the Lives of the Poor

First, we looked at positioning our hearts in such a way that we come to the poor knowing that we too are in poverty apart from Christ – drawing us to an absolute and utter reliance upon Him for this life and eternity (Part II). Second, we reflected on the fact that there is much to learn and gain from the locals, and that we are called to edify and build the local Body of believers in their call to leadership.

There is a third piece that should be understood when seeking practical ways of serving the poor (and this is a huge piece), that God is sovereign over the lives of the poor. Many people don’t like that, but it’s true. He is their Provider, their Sustainer, their Redeemer, not us. This is a major implication that separates gospel-centric groups from secular humanitarianism and even some forms of Christian humanitarian organizations. The common misperception of non gospel-centric groups is that this world is falling apart and is now in need of man to figure out how to save it by some form of intellectual superiority. However, the Bible tells us that this world is falling apart because of sin. And God, by His grace alone, has purposed that He would reveal His power, authority, provision, and ultimately His redemption. It just so happens that He often chooses to use His people to actively accomplish His purposes. This is the beauty and privilege of serving Christ – that we might be used for eternal purposes, and that all of the glory goes to God!

“This is ministry”

If we do not understand this critical point, we will fall prey to taking credit for what is due only to the Lord Almighty– “for all things are from Him and through Him and to Him, to God be glory alone” [Romans 11:36, emphasis mine]. Second, if we do not understand God’s sovereignty, we are tempted to take things into our own hands, which can cause divisions and jealousy within the body of Christ. Following the Haiti Earthquake, I heard very sad stories of Christian organizations stepping on and maligning one another, all for the purpose of getting the “corner on the relief market.” The person telling me these stories said, “this is ministry” with a long sigh, implying that competition is just the reality of the ministry efforts. Wrong. This is NOT ministry! God will care for the poor, and does not need us to act in ungodly ways in order to accomplish His purposes. May we trust in the Lord in our service and seek to abide in Him as He so graciously calls us to His service.

(A list of passages that describes God’s sovereignty over the poor is located below.)

Practical Implications of Interventions

Now that we have worked towards gaining an understanding of how our hearts should be positioned, I want to offer some practical “feet on the ground” considerations when serving the poor.

Prayer first

The first implication is by and large the importance of prayer! If God is sovereign over all creation and if our work is absolutely nothing apart from Christ, then we should be praying for His direction, His wisdom, and His provision (John 15:1-16). I can’t overstate this most critical manner of working out our faith in following Christ concerning the poor.

Second, in terms of approaching projects in a practical way, poverty alleviation is very comprehensive and may include projects that focus on top-down (policy, systems) and bottom-up (grassroots implementation) methods. While it is outside the scope of this particular blog to delve into these methods, there is an abundance of resources available that offer in-depth instruction and analysis. As a beginning point, Corbett and Fikkert offer a good overview of the literature, covering key areas as the relief-rehabilitation-development paradigm and current models of development.

I’ve included some practical questions that can be asked when supporting and/or serving in the work of poverty alleviation:

1. Is it the correct intervention?
   What is the issue and cause of poverty being addressed? Does the intervention reflect this? I.e. relief (short term solution) being administered when the intervention really calls for development (long term solution).
2. How is the gospel being prioritized and presented?
   What is the state of the local church? What is the local context and what are the ministry needs? While there is no one answer to how the gospel should be presented, a local organization or group should certainly be intentional with the ongoing of this most important aspect.
3. Are the locals participating in each aspect of the project’s planning, implementation, and evaluation?
4. How do you know that real change is happening?
   Evaluating interventions from a physical and spiritual perspective can be very difficult at times, particularly when considering spiritual growth. Organizations and churches should be intentional with evaluating how their resources and time are utilized.

Endnotes [emphasis mine]

Biblical passages of God’s sovereignty over the poor:

[14] But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless. (Ps 10:14)

[16] The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. [17] O Lord , you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear [18] to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. (Ps 10:16-18)

[5] “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” (Ps 12:5)

[10] For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. (Ps 27:10)

[10] All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?” (Ps 35:10)

[4] May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! (Ps 72:4)

[12] For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. [13] He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. [14] From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. (Ps 72:12-14)

[3] “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. [4] “Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Ps 82:3-4)

[41] but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. (Ps 107:41)

[5] Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, [6] who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? [7] He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, [8] to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. [9] He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! (Ps 113:5-9)

[7] [The Lord] who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; (Ps 146:7)

[9] The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. (Ps 146:9)

[17] When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. [18] I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. [19] I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, [20] that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it. (Isaiah 41:17-20)

In praying for the nation of Haiti, I find myself returning to the words of It Is Well With My Soul. The classic hymn was written by Horatio Spafford, a man who was sadly all too familiar with death and tragedy. In 1871, Spafford suffered the tragic death of his only son to scarlet fever. Shortly thereafter, while grieving the death of their son, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the entire city. A successful businessman and lawyer at the time, Spafford lost everything. While he and his wife Anna began piecing their lives back together, his friend and an acclaimed Bible teacher, D.L. Moody, suggested the family take a much-needed vacation. Since Moody was preaching in England at the time, Spafford followed his advice and planned a European vacation with his family. They would board the S.S. Ville du Havre to travel there. Since business concerns left in the rubble of the Great Chicago Fire demanded his time, Spafford sent his family—Anna and their four daughters—ahead of him.

En route over the Atlantic, the ship collided with an iron shipping vessel and sank rapidly thereafter. All four of his daughters drowned. His wife Anna, one of the few survivors, arrived in Europe to send her husband the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” With a grieving and broken heart, Horatio Spafford immediately departed for England to join his devastated wife. When the ship’s captain told Spafford they were passing over the scene of the collision, immense sorrow overcame him, and he retreated to the ship’s cabin. Swallowed in unbearable grief, he wrote the words:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

A few years later, Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna bore three more children, losing one of them—another son—yet again to scarlet fever. Imagine the heartache. Could you imagine the sorrow? This man’s life was relentlessly marked with tragedy, loss and death. However, not once did he fold under his anger, sorrow or despair. Instead, against all worldly odds, he declared his hope and faith in a sovereign God—Jesus Christ.

And a few years later, by God’s amazing grace, the Spafford family eventually turned their sorrows and grief into compassion and mercy. They moved to Jerusalem and engaged in philanthropic work, ministering to the people there in the wake of World War I.

Our God saves.

In Christ, Our Ultimate Provision

This truth—that our God is a God who saves—was embraced by Horatio Spafford in such a way that he made clear to the world that Christ alone was his heart’s most valuable treasure and his greatest desire. In another verse of It Is Well With My Soul he writes:

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

What a testimony to share! You see, Horatio Spafford understood that he was no better, nor holier, than the next guy. He believed that all people—himself included—are inherently bad by both nature and choice. He had seen the devastating effects of a fallen world. Sin… tears… disease… death. And he knew who his only hope—our only hope—was: Jesus. Horatio Spafford placed the care of his soul in a wonderful Savior. If God were so loving and so gracious to pardon Spafford’s offenses against him, then what a wonderful God he must be. So let’s consider God’s testimony in the life of Horatio Spafford as we continue to pray for and minister to the Haitian people. Let’s consider this testimony as we will inevitably continue to face troubles and losses in our own lives.

And let us never forget that our God is a God who saves.

1 Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Churches Helping Churches took footage from their recent trip to Haiti and produced the following presentation. Ex Nihilo‘s rendition of It Is Well With My Soul plays in the background.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well,
with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord haste the day, when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul.
Even still, it is well with my soul.

In the meantime, we want to make you aware of the following:

Jon Smith has compiled a list of people tweeting from Haiti. Follow them to get live updates from the Haitian ground. Check out @PastorMark‘s live updates with some heavy pictures. (HT: Gracie Richards)

Prior to the Haitian earthquake, there were 380,000 orphans already in orphanages and group homes. The earthquake has added tens of thousands more. Together for Adoption has started a ministry to tackle this: a church-centered initiative to serve the needs of Haiti’s orphans.

I’m told the guy who started this rad ministry is a member at a local church. The ministry’s vision is to provide 20 million people in third world countries—who would otherwise sit in bed for the rest of their lives—an off-road wheelchair. So far Free Wheelchair Mission has successfully  placed 436,000 wheelchairs all throughout the world. Naturally, their next stop is Haiti. Visit their website to find out how you can donate your resources or volunteer your time. They are located in Irvine, CA. (HT: David Hughes)

“Let hope rise and darkness tremble in your Holy Light” -Hillsong

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:17-18)

Does God hate Haiti? That is the conclusion reached by many, who point to the earthquake as a sign of God’s direct and observable judgment.

God does judge the nations — all of them — and God will judge the nations. His judgment is perfect and his justice is sure. He rules over all the nations and his sovereign will is demonstrated in the rising and falling of nations and empires and peoples. Every molecule of matter obeys his command, and the earthquakes reveal his reign — as do the tides of relief and assistance flowing into Haiti right now.

A faithful Christian cannot accept the claim that God is a bystander in world events. The Bible clearly claims the sovereign rule of God over all his creation, all of the time. We have no right to claim that God was surprised by the earthquake in Haiti, or to allow that God could not have prevented it from happening.

God’s rule over creation involves both direct and indirect acts, but his rule is constant. The universe, even after the consequences of the Fall, still demonstrates the character of God in all its dimensions, objects, and occurrences. And yet, we have no right to claim that we know why a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti happened at just that place and at just that moment.

The arrogance of human presumption is a real and present danger. We can trace the effects of a drunk driver to a car accident, but we cannot trace the effects of voodoo to an earthquake — at least not so directly. Will God judge Haiti for its spiritual darkness? Of course. Is the judgment of God something we can claim to understand in this sense — in the present? No, we are not given that knowledge. Jesus himself warned his disciples against this kind of presumption.

Why did no earthquake shake Nazi Germany? Why did no tsunami swallow up the killing fields of Cambodia? Why did Hurricane Katrina destroy far more evangelical churches than casinos? Why do so many murderous dictators live to old age while many missionaries die young?

Does God hate Haiti? God hates sin, and will punish both individual sinners and nations. But that means that every individual and every nation will be found guilty when measured by the standard of God’s perfect righteousness. God does hate sin, but if God merely hated Haiti, there would be no missionaries there; there would be no aid streaming to the nation; there would be no rescue efforts — there would be no hope.

The earthquake in Haiti, like every other earthly disaster, reminds us that creation groans under the weight of sin and the judgment of God. This is true for every cell in our bodies, even as it is for the crust of the earth at every point on the globe. The entire cosmos awaits the revelation of the glory of the coming Lord. Creation cries out for the hope of the New Creation.

In other words, the earthquake reminds us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only real message of hope. The cross of Christ declares that Jesus loves Haiti — and the Haitian people are the objects of his love. Christ would have us show the Haitian nation his love, and share his Gospel. In the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, Christ would have us rush to aid the suffering people of Haiti, and rush to tell the Haitian people of his love, his cross, and salvation in his name alone.

Everything about the tragedy in Haiti points to our need for redemption. This tragedy may lead to a new openness to the Gospel among the Haitian people. That will be to the glory of God. In the meantime, Christ’s people must do everything we can to alleviate the suffering, bind up the wounded, and comfort the grieving. If Christ’s people are called to do this, how can we say that God hates Haiti?

If you have any doubts about this, take your Bible and turn to John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. That is God’s message to Haiti.

HT: Justin Taylor

Please consider donating your resources to help Haiti through one (or some) of the following organizations:

• Churches Helping Churches
• World Vision
• Compassion
• Sovereign Grace Ministries
• Food for the Hungry
• World Relief
• NW Haiti Christian Mission
• Samaritan’s Purse

(The Boston Globe has posted a few gripping photos on their photo blog.)