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30 October 2019

suffering well

If there were any way one could doubt that Haiti is in a far more spiritual battle than a physical one, we are literally falling asleep to voodoo drums pounding, and waking up with them pounding still.  Satan has had this island in his clutches for a very very long time and he is not losing it without a fight.  I know you have been praying.

Ask twelve more people to join you and KEEP ON, ask your small group, ask your Sunday School class, ask your pastor, ask your mother, ask your children, and reach out your hands to Haiti and PRAY.

Believers in Haiti, Emmaus, the Ayars, we are being threatened on every front. As the enemy is losing, he grows desperate, and desperate terrorism, violence, desperate threats and attacks are MANY. Churches in Haiti are rising up on the ATTACK, going into dark, long-bound voodoo zones and praying for deliverance and breaking of chains.  Believers in Haiti, stripped of ALL physical comforts, even stripped of many physical NEEDS, of all consistency, of all reliability, are on the ATTACK, deeply rooted in HIS unchanging character.

Every belief is being challenged. Every believer is being tested in ways we've never been.

Do we truly trust Him? Do we truly have peace unshakable? Do we truly love our neighbor...love our enemy? Are we truly His Children? Do we truly have nothing to fear? Do we truly believe His promises? Do we believe what the Bible says? Do we truly trust in His love?

If you have ever battled for Haiti, if you have ever sent a dollar or a prayer, if you have ever stood by her, lifted her up, walked her land, felt your heart moved...If the people of Haiti have ever meant something to you, keep fighting for her now.  Fight for her now on your knees.  KEEP PRAYING, keep encouraging, keep supporting, keep battling.

He wins this war. He wins this war.

That does not mean it isn't bloody, and it has been hundreds of years in the making. Neither Haiti nor any one of us will emerge from this fight unchanged....PRAY with us. It IS, PRAYER IS the most important work.

Scroll through our blog and pray for each face, each place you see. Scroll through Emmaus' FB and pray for every man, woman and child you find there. Scroll through the news on Haiti and lift up every soul in sight. Set the timer on your phone and lift up Haiti for five minutes, every single day. Put a note on your fridge and come before the throne every time you see it.  Fight on God's family's behalf in Haiti.

As my third year class and I worked through this devotional by Paul David Tripp this morning while the classroom next to us resounded in worship, it was a GOOD Word in a BAD time, and I prayed over them each at the end that God will MEET Jensen, Alinx, Oteillien, Sdana, Simon, Benson, Odil, Erwens, Olizard, Gillbaud, Guerrier, Charles, Josue and Jhon...That God will MEET them and give them the grace to suffer WELL.

Suffering well is just another one of those Gospel paradigms: in our weakness, He is strong...by His stripes, we are healed...love your enemies...the first shall be last...a little child shall lead them...the humble are lifted up....

I pray for these men and women, for believers throughout Haiti, for our staff, for our brothers and sisters here, your brothers and sisters, too....we pray that through His grace, we might sleep with peace, and that we might suffer WELL, with joy, with love, a city on a hill, a light shining in the darkness...for His glory.

God is at work.  Pray on.




Here's a quick summary of what we've learn in Psalm 4:
  1. In times of trouble, it's helpful to remember the past acts of God’s relieving mercy and grace.
  2. When suffering enters your door, you should be furious, but your anger should be motivated by the law of God, not the law of self.
  3. In moments of pain, it might be better to be silent, because you have an excellent track record of hurting others with our words.
  4. Worship is rarely sweeter and more heartfelt than in times of trial, because God is often in the process of removing physical treasures that compete with himself for the captivation of your heart.
  5. One of the last things we think about during our suffering is ministering to others, but we're called by God (and enabled by grace) to do so.
To conclude, David says something that takes me by surprise: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:7-8)
I’ll be honest with you. When I’m experiencing pain and suffering, I don’t have much joy and I don’t have much peace. In my life, my joy is typically dependent on pleasurable experiences, and my peace is typically dependent on a predictable schedule. When those things are stripped away, I convince myself I have plenty of reasons to stay awake at night!
David is facing incredibly uncomfortable and unpredictable circumstances when he pens this Psalm; by human logic, David's bitterness and restlessness 'could be' justified. But here’s why the king has joy and peace: his hope is not rooted in circumstance, but rooted in a Person.
God's character doesn't change (see Numbers 23:19, Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17). He is loving, wise, patient, strong, and kind at all times. He is a steadfast rock. When your joy and peace are rooted in his character, you have reason to fall asleep, even when life is crashing down. David is a good theologian, and his theology enables him to rest.
Psalm 4 is a narrative of what the grace of God can do in the heart of everyone who seeks him. God will meet you in your times of trouble and give you the grace to suffer well.
God bless
Paul David Tripp

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