Last night as I tucked my kids into bed, we prayed together for God to have mercy on the people in Haiti. One of my little girls gently asked, “Daddy, why is it called Haiti (HATE-E)?” It was an honest question. So I just spelled out the word for her and said it had nothing to do with the word “hate” that she knows is a word reserved for sin and evil. But I wish I would’ve said something similar to what Al Mohler said here … only summarized in kid’s language like I did below.
Girls, some people think that God sent the earthquake to Haiti because he hates Haiti. But God doesn’t hate Haiti. He loves Haiti. He loves the people in Haiti. He loves the mommies and the daddies and the little boys and little girls. Do you remember John 3:16? It says,”For God so loved the world (all the people in the world) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
God is a loving King. But He is also a holy king. He rules over all. And one day he will judge all the peoples of the world. He will punish all the people (from Haiti to Kentucky) who have sinned against him and not believed in his Son Jesus Christ. God doesn’t hate Haiti. But God hates sin. And one day He is coming to judge us for our sin. So the earthquake reminds us that we must turn from our sin and trust in Jesus. Jesus is our only hope as he died on a cross to take our punishment and give us eternal life.
Girls, God loves us and he loves the people in Haiti. So we need to pray. We need to pray for the people who got hurt and are sad and alone. We need to pray for the little kids that don’t have a mommy or daddy. And we need to pray most of all for the people in Haiti to hear about Jesus and the amazing love he showed them by dying for them on the cross. Remember John 3:16? Let’s say that verse together and pray for God to have mercy on the people in Haiti.
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