POPULAR clergyman Reverend Al Miller is urging Jamaicans not to blame God for the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa when it pummelled sections of the country last Tuesday, leaving a trail of death and destruction, but instead to see the disaster as a divine opportunity for unity and renewal.

Emphasising that “God cannot be tempted with evil” and does not cause destruction, Miller encouraged members of the Church to remind Jamaicans that even in chaos, God is present. He further encouraged countrymen to rise above despair and support those in need.

“From one standpoint, it looks like the dark days in our nation, but if you can look through the eyes of God, these are the brightest days for our nation. Amen?” declared Miller during a church service at Fellowship Tabernacle on Sunday.

“I know most of you couldn’t say amen because you don’t understand the principle. Don’t look at the darkness, look at the power behind the darkness…God is in the dark, and He is the light. So, therefore, He can turn your darkness into what? Light,” Miller encouraged those gathered for the service, five days after the Category 5 hurricane made landfall in Jamaica.

“In everything you are, give thanks, give thanks, give thanks. We have to now, because I don’t want it to be lost on any of us that, in all that is happening, God has not forsaken. Yes, this kind of stuff is not God who is doing it directly; it is, as we were saying two weeks ago, that this is all the natural result of nature judging our own activity,” the clergyman reasoned.

He drew a comparison between the human body and nature, noting that just as poor lifestyle choices can make the body sick, humanity’s sins and moral corruption can cause the natural world to revolt — resulting in disasters or disruptions. However, he noted that this reaction does not aim to destroy.

“God built His image [and] His character into nature that He created, so when we sin — our wickedness and evil — when it reaches a pitch, nature revolts. But it is not revolting to destroy you, nature will say, ‘Adjust it, correct it, quickly correct it.’ Change your eating habits, change your lifestyle to keep your body healthy,” said Miller.

“…Adam, when he sinned, he surrendered the authority to Satan. So Satan is the god of this world and, as god of this world, when nature, that he does not control…raises up, he says, ‘A my opportunity to ride on it,’ and he comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy — that’s the short understanding. Don’t blame God foolishly; that’s the enemy,” Miller stated.

“But. by the same token, He gave us authority in the Earth, and that’s why when we are in God, we can now come and pray. We can speak into it, we can break the power of the enemy; that’s why we can turn things around,” he urged.

The two-hour service featured several moments of worship as the congregation gave thanks to God for sparing their lives. Members of the church also spent time in prayer, joining hands in a show of unity as they prayed for the western parishes that took the brunt of the hurricane’s fury.

Miller shared that some members of the church visited the parishes of St James and St Elizabeth on Saturday to deliver care packages. He said the experience was heartbreaking as he heard the stories of Jamaicans who lost everything. While he spoke, other congregants were carefully packing donations of water, food, and clothing as they again prepared to travel to the west later in the day.

Moments after the service ended, Miller told the Jamaica Observer that he believes Hurricane Melissa has given Jamaica a tremendous opportunity to unite. He called on other churches and Jamaicans to join together in love and show each other support.

“One of the things we’ve been praying for, for a long time, is unity, because our nation has been divided, but nothing unites a nation like a cause, and we believe that this is a cause to unite us now to come together because we have a nation to rebuild. This is the opportunity to do some things that maybe should have been done a long time ago, but could not have been done,” he told the Observer.

“We need all the wisdom of the best minds in the country. We want to call [on] our people, let’s come together, let’s talk about what is necessary, let’s work together with our leaders of the nation and find the answers that this country needs now,” he encouraged.

He noted that the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches is available and in communication with churches in the west and east to travel to the affected areas this week and deliver care packages. The aim, he said, is to feed 5,000 individuals per day over this week and, hopefully, beyond.

“We are encouraging and galvanising the church. We are spread best across the country, and so it is the Church now who must get involved. This is our time. We are being mobilised to serve our country at this time, and that’s all we can do. Let’s give back in any way we can, that’s right. We must do that; this is a must for us to awaken that spirit in our people. Yes, there are the negatives, but come on, man, let’s rise above that now and let’s go care for each other,” he urged.

Reverend Al Miller speaking to congregants during a church service at Fellowship Tabernacle on Sunday. Photo: Tamoy Ashman