You Are My All in All

We have all been captivated these past two weeks with the pictures and videos from the country of Haiti. Devastated by an earthquake, the city of Port-au-Prince is essentially destroyed with the loss of lives numbering in the hundreds of thousands and the numbers continue to rise. It’s hard to watch the videos of children being pulled from rubble; the hands of adults reaching for a bottle of water; the bodies of the dead lying in the streets; and the cries of those who lost everything. Where is God, and why?

Only a few days later when relief efforts were beginning; citizens were receiving much needed medical assistance; temporary housing units were being built; another quake hits this island nation and creates more turmoil and death. Where is God, and why?

As a Christian and believer in Jehovah God, at times like this it pushes my limits to remember that God is in control of all things and that a loving God could allow this to happen. Yet, in the midst of the destruction of those first days, one sight appeared on the television that gave me pause to think. A group of Haitians gathered outside the rubble of a fallen building. Their eyes were full of tears, their clothes were dirty and torn, yet their hands and voices lifted high toward God. Singing in their native language, the melody of their song was familiar, so I went to one of my music books to find it. The title is “You Are My All in All” with the primary lyrics being,

“You are my strength when I am weak,
You are the treasure that I seek,
You are my all in all.
When I fall down You pick me up,
When I am dry You fill my cup,
You are my all in all.”

Here are people having survived one of the worst catastrophes ever, yet they are singing to God that He is their strength, their treasure. Here is a group having lost families, homes, churches, and schools, yet they know that their God will pick them up and restore them. Why are they singing and lifting their hands toward God? Why are they not asking where God is?

The reason is the most wonderful word….faith. They know their God is in control and trust Him with their homes and country. The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Corinth, “…we are afflicted, but not crushed down….struck down, but not destroyed.” This is our hope during those long nights of worry over a sick child, a lost relationship, financial stress, job loss, or just the problems of everyday living. God promises us that He is present in all our circumstances, however because we live in an ungodly world, bad things do happen. God did not cause the earthquake in Haiti; it was a force of nature. God was not punishing the people of that small country; it was just the time for those earthly plates to shift. God was there that morning and is still there crying over the loss and holding those precious people in His arms.

So for today my friends, this has been the gospel according to Jimmy.