Hope Is In God Alone

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." - Psalm 46: 1-3

It's exactly a week since the strongest typhoon ever recorded in history hit the central Philippines. Deaths and devastation in its wake are staggeringly beyond description. Not in a million years would local people think this was going to happen. No amount of typhoon drills or tsunami drills for that matter had prepared them for what was coming their way. Even to piece the thoughts on this catastrophe is beyond heartbreaking. Where do we start from here?

Even I myself cannot imagine being in the company of those zombie-like survivors who wander aimlessly from all corners scouring for food while soaking wet. They seem to have forgotten that they left behind dead bodies of loved ones uncollected and resigned to their fate so that they should hold on to survive. Men, women and children all orphaned by the catastrophe have no answer in their minds on how this misery could end sooner than they hope for.

There's no point in weeping if what we can only contribute is a bucket-ful of tears while watching the extent of people's miseries on television. Though some of us may not be able to help in the most conventional way, yet we can pray hard enough for them that they will still see hope in God despite this unheard of tragedy. Of course some of us would say, "are you serious?" kind of thing. In this genetic age or should I say bluntly as the 'end times', most people take away God in the equation. We just remember God only as our last option when we are at the center of the 'eye of the storm' literally or figuratively.

God is awesome and takes care of His children

No one was oblivious of the fact that a super typhoon was coming, its might unheralded in recorded history. People at the paths of the typhoon were all prepared, well-drilled and grew in confidence that previous experiences will get them through. In fact, government leaders had forecast that a zero casualty is a strong possibility considering their preparedness level. And that's what they thought.

Even before the typhoon made its first landfall in Leyte and Samar provinces, I being a Christian,  did not waste time calling out to God for His divine protection for my family and relatives and all those who are in harm's way. It's the most effective and most powerful way that get results - it is tested by time and generations - because God never changes. Do I sound senseless here if I may guess some people perceive me to be? This is the confidence that we have in Jesus that when we call out to Him with faith and humility He will hear us.

Just four days ago, power had been restored in my home province of Negros Occidental. My family instinctively knew how it was like waiting in agony to hear how everyone fared after the super typhoon . Our province specifically the northern part where we are located was among those places projected to be on the typhoon's path earning it a signal no.4 badge. My sister knowing I'd been on almost vigil mode since communications were cut off tersely messaged me that "we are all okay". And what a relief to know that indeed they were spared and as she puts it, "we can feel the hand of God protecting us". My younger brother has even a great testimony to tell when a flying tin roof almost hit him, but God was there, hallelujah!

In times of trouble when everything seems to conspire against you, be it frustration, desperation, crushed hopes, abandonment or even imminent death that you think there's no escape, we can still get comfort from God's promises and it takes only faith to be able to do that. Psalms 91 promises that those who trust in God will find refuge in the midst of trouble and that He delights in those who call out His name. That's His promise. And He never lies because He is God and not man. Thank you Jesus!

When We Least Expect It - Even On Christmas

"When they call on me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them." - Psalms 91:15

We thought Ondoy was a big blunder and the last of such scale. Then we saw all fingers directed toward government inefficiency. Those affected thought they had not been properly warned. The president in his rage sacked the Pag-asa chief for incompetence. Ondoy had claimed many lives though it poured out its wrath in daylight. But who can escape such a fury unleashed in the middle of the night the way Sendong did?

People of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities did get warned. They knew they were at the storm's path. As to the extent of the damage it had to leave, they could only predict, it was to be another storm meant to be forgotten, as oblivious as history should put it to be. Older folks had no recollection of a storm that ravaged their cities in the past, and the young were told so, as history validates, then people flirted with complacency. After Sendong had left, the lives of those lucky to make it will never be the same again.

The figures are staggering: over a thousand dead bodies piled up with debris strewn across the city, hundreds more are missing. Funeral parlors have no capacity for such a deluge of cadavers streaming their gates, not even a chance to identify the victims. The pictures are horribly graphic. Jessica Soho of GMA likened the onslaught to be that of a 'thief in the night', albeit the culprit took no accountability.

Take note of this: survivors frantically looking for their missing loved ones were advised to go to the city's dumpsite to search for their mothers, fathers, sisters,  brothers, babies and relatives. You don't believe this is happening. The sheer number of bodies recovered rendered the city incapable to bury them that they are left with no choice but  to dig a mass grave to contain the stench and a likely epidemic.

What's even incomprehensible is how human hands had actually played a role in the fate of those who had perished. Whether people still remain clueless and  have the temerity to point a finger at nature when thousands of logs and tree trunks swamped the city, is totally beyond me. Now people realize that they are paying dearly for the endless rape of our forests due to unabated illegal logging. Now, no one wants to take responsibility. How many times entire communities get wiped out and thousands of lives taken as a result of illegal logging? Even if someone gets crucified for the wrongs of many, I bet lessons will serve no purpose, as long as human greed comes in abundance.

Life always remains a mystery. When we think all is well, suddenly destruction hits. At times when we think we have security and things are going alright in our lives, tragedy comes our way. Then most of us don't know what to do when we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere. We don't know where and who to turn to and how we are going to get by. But if we were offered a way to live without ever having to worry about anything ever again and it won't cost us a cent, would we jump on it? Judging by the world trend, things are  not going to get easier, they are going to get worse, especially that materialism and greed by some come before the good of many.

In facing repercussions, there will always be more at the losing end. In life, there are countless possibilities that we may face but only one thing is certain - death is forthcoming - in whatever manner, we are left clueless. It will come still, yes, even at a time when we least expect it. But no matter how much people weep for those they've lost, their lives will never be the same again, because indeed very few find the real reason for living. He is in fact the reason for Christmas.

I still wish my kababayans in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities a happy Christmas! We from Saudi Arabia may not be able to hand you a bottled water or a noodle, yet our prayers at your time of distress abound for you. Life is short but as long as we are blessed with air to breathe, there is hope, and that hope is just within your reach. In fact, He is the reason why we celebrate this season. His name is Jesus. Have a blessed Christmas!

Please click HERE if you wish to make a difference in the lives of those who survived.

When We Least Expect It: Japan Tsunami

"You know, I'm heartbroken by this tragedy. I think when you see what's happening in Japan, you are reminded that, for all our differences in culture or language or religion, that ultimately humanity is one". - President Obama 

I must admit it - I along with countless others here in Saudi Arabia was feeling nervous and a little paranoid in the lead-up to the well-publicized "Day of Rage" that supposedly took place yesterday March 11, 2010. Thankfully enough, it failed to materialize and subsequently gained a reputation as the "day of little rage", in reference to the group of very few disenchanted citizens who nevertheless showed up in their otherwise subdued rage in the quiet town of Qatif in the Eastern province. With Saudi Arabia assuredly spared from man-made turmoil, half a world apart in Japan, disaster struck in an utterly devastating and heartbreaking episode caught and beamed worldwide.

Scenes from the moments of destruction were of unbelievable proportion that even apocalyptic movies in Hollywood would pale in comparison. You will totally run out of words for it. I could not believe my eyes I was watching live footages of a raging ten-meter tsunami ravaging towns, communities, an airport and homes with such fury and destruction in its wake. What if I or my loved ones were in one of those running cars in the highways that got outsprinted and swallowed by the mighty wall of waters? And the boats and vehicles that got tossed about in such furious power of raging waters really provided a gripping display of might that once again proved every human being is an utterly helpless creation.

Thousands are believed to have been buried alive in the mud. But make no mistake. Japan is considered as the most high-tech nation on the planet. Every building and structure in Japan is designed to be quake-proof. Its people are well-prepared in times of earthquakes that occur every now and then. One foreigner even described it as a daily occurrence that every jolt in the building just goes unnoticed. This has become an experience one certainly has to live with when in Japan. If one wonders why Japan is one of the most earthquake prone areas in the world - it is because Japan is at the center of the "Ring of Fire" in the Pacific Rim along with some countries in the Pacific including the Philippines. And this hard fact has taught Japanese citizens to be smart and resilient in times such as these.

Friday's earthquake in Japan will certainly go down as the strongest recorded in its history with its tremor registered at magnitude 8.9 in the Richter scale. With a country that prides itself on how to get people to places within the minute or two even in the most perilous circumstances, no one could have predicted the scale of devastation it would cause, not even the Japanese themselves. If they could laugh off earthquakes in cities where tall buildings show proof of man's genius, another angel of death couldn't pass them over without leaving harrowing scenes of death. People in Japan are still grappling to comprehend how an earthquake could have triggered a tsunami that could be so devastating that have killed thousands. This is a very difficult time for all the Japanese people who were caught offguard by such a tragedy. And let us understand the number of dead was somehow minimized because most of them were prepared and well-drilled.

Japan has been known for its reputation for being one of the greatest donors of humanitarian aid in every catastrophe elsewhere - and one of the quickest too - but at the aftermath of this unheard of devastation in its own- it is Japan's turn to receive an outpouring of condolences from all over the world. With the Japanese people known for their resilience and unparalleled discipline, no one casts a doubt that it could easily rise up from the rubble of destruction given its history. But a strong underlying question surely casts a doubt as to the other nations' capability to rise up when it is their time to face the same situation - because it's only a matter of time. And what's next?

What if the same happens in the Philippines? As much as I would like to avoid this question, still reality hangs tough that it is not a remote possibility. We are not as prepared and ripe to face this kind of catastrophe, much less our  resources available are inadequate. While first-world countries are obsessed with upgrading their capabilities to counter such catastrophe to its minimal effect, in the Philippines our officials are equally obsessed with squandering state coffers to their end. The greed and gluttony in the government routinely prevails over the very few with honest and truthful intents. With all these tales and scenes of destruction facing us everyday, still we have fellow human beings choosing to drown themselves with greed oblivious of what tomorrow may bring.

As I try to ponder on the ruthlessness of nature whereby we are reduced to being helpless spectators when it unleashes its fury, I cannot help but wonder how human beings can be so greedy  when all the riches in this world can be easily reduced to rubbles and turned to a swathe of debris when it is retribution time. How much wealth would compensate for this life when we are faced with certain death?  Not even the powers and glitters of our riches could buy us refuge to shield us from the sting of death.  How many 'lesser' people die daily in their tens or hundreds fighting for their rights to live decent lives yet deprived of them by the 'greater' ones?  Not even the Ben Alis and Mubaraks of this world nor the arrogant Gadhafis in all their powers and riches will be able to stake their claim in the fight for incorruptibility - for the greedy will only have his days numbered before he is put to shame.

"Life is too short".  For most of us, it has become a cliche lost in the maze of the relevant. But when confronted with grim realities, where do we really go? And so we realized, life indeed is short. For those of us who believe there's a Force behind all these that controls the future, we can only pray away that we be spared from the same predicament. And for those who find it weird that this theory carries some weight - live your life to the fullest - but don't stop searching for an answer to this paradox - so that when in the midst of tragedy - you already have the answer - and peace will come - who knows?