Everything is agonizing about the earthquake in Haiti. The scenes of devastation are beyond our ability to comprehend as we watch the news footage from the safe distance and comfort of our homes. We are protected from the searing heat and, even more, the nauseating smells. But what is more agonizing still is that Haiti has been in a desperate state for years – that’s not news. The present catastrophe has brought it to our attention and placed it centre stage for a while, but Haiti has been a failed state for decades.

It seems to me that we need to use this awful disaster as the lens through which we take a new look at our world. We live in a world of terrifying inequality and, whilst we continue to live as we do, that will continue. Haiti is only one of many nations that sits precariously on the edge of existence. Tomorrow it could be Bangladesh, or Chad, or Somalia or Thailand.

It is wonderful to see people’s generosity in response to the Haitian disaster. That’s truly commendable and should be encouraged, but it isn’t going to change the direction of our world. We need to lean on governments to live differently and to stem the destructive tide of selfishness, which enables the rich countries of the world to live as if they have an inalienable right to become richer and richer. In this country we have made painfully slow progress towards the objective of giving 0.7% of GDP to international aid – and we are still not there. We need to press all parliamentary candidates to make a firm commitment to this level of support.

Our Baptist Assembly this year will focus its attention on “One World, One Mission”. Every Christian is called to care for the world. We are not given a choice whether we care for this country or others. God so loved the whole world that he sent Jesus to die for it, and we need to make sure that we are faithfully serving Jesus by holding out our hands in love and compassion to this world that he loves so much. This is our mission. I trust that Haiti will stay in our minds and prayers for many years to come, but I also long that it will enable us to see the whole world more clearly.