Dear Editor,

It is with sincere gratefulness that I praise God for His undeserved mercy towards our island in steering Hurricane Matthew away from us. Our country has received unmerited grace and we should be eternally grateful to God.

But instead of gratitude, some, unfortunately, choose to use it as an opportunity to smear God’s character and the fervent prayers of His people.

We do not know nor understand the depths of God’s mind, but we always can be reassured that everything that happens has a purpose for good.

Suffering is almost unanimously seen as negative, but suffering — as painful as it may be — can serve many purposes. For one thing, we have all rebelled against God — Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, the USA, every country, every individual — none of us merit being spared. At times God uses suffering to compel persons to return to Him (Amos 4:6 is an example). At other times, suffering can be an opportunity for others to share God’s love, and for God’s power to be clearly seen (John 9:2-3). Testing one’s faith is another purpose that comes from suffering (the book of Job).

Whatever the reason(s) may be, we have all witnessed God’s power. The God I serve is love, first of all, and He is always just in His actions. Nothing in the universe can happen without His control, but everything happens for an ultimate good purpose.

With the rising level of crime, atheism, anti-theism, and secularism, many are trying God’s patience with our island. But may God remember the remnant that still exists in our island.

In the meanwhile, let us continue to pray for our neighbours and help them in any way we can.

Sarah Buckland

s131993@yahoo.com