An Understanding Heart

March 15, 2017

9:18 a.m.

The caravan’s wheels lift off the ground and just like that we’re air bound. 

Looking out the window I enjoy my familiar bird’s eye view of the changing landscape beneath me.

As I settle in for the 35 minute flight from Grand Diable, located on Haiti’s North West tip, to Port au Prince, the country’s capital, I think about what the staff at Lemuel told us about their experiences after Hurricane Matthew.

When they went out to survey the damage the hurricane had caused they found houses damaged, sheep and goats killed, and many gardens and canals washed out or covered in layers of mud and rock.

Instead of immediately getting to work addressing what they thought were the people’s greatest needs they had a community meeting and asked the people themselves what they felt the most pressing needs were.

Instead of the expected response of “Our homes are damaged and in need of repair and our livestock has died and needs replenishing,” they almost unanimously asked that their gardens be unearthed and the canals bringing water from the mountains be dug out. “We can fix our homes and slowly replenish our life stock,” they said. “But our gardens are our source of food and income, and without them we have nothing!” 

So that’s what Lemuel focused on. They set up food for work, and cash for work, programs and then got the community involved in unearthing gardens and digging out canals.

As I mulled over this lesson they had shared with us, it again struck me how important it is to really listen.

Back at home I wondered what the Bible had to say about listening and understanding and these are some of the verses I found:

The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them. (Proverbs 20:12)

When God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said to him, “Ask what I shall give thee. (1 Kings 3:5b) Solomon’s response was: Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart. (1 Kings 3:9a) In the next verse it says: And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. (1 Kings 3:10)

James, inspired by God, writes: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5) And further on: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, (James 1:19a)

And the wise King Solomon, inspired by God, wrote in the book of Proverbs:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Let us take these inspired words to heart.

Whatever situation we find ourselves in, let us take the time to listen and see and understand and ask God for wisdom and direction before moving forward.