Tropical cyclone Maring is still hitting us pretty hard here in North Luzon. I awoke late at 4:30 a.m. after a long time spent trying to get to sleep last night. I awoke to find the power had come back on sometime during the night or early this morning but that I had no Internet. Fiber is dead. The strong winds have battered the trees and palms, and the rain pelted the roof all night and continues to do so. My son rests quietly after finally settling down to sleep from heat and exhaustion. Coffee does me well to grasp the situation at hand and prepare for the day’s storm.
Long day ahead
Today will be a challenge. There is no water because the pump went dry and needs to be primed. I have to figure out how to do that in the rain without my son, as I don’t want him out in the storm. There’s dirty dishes from last night in the sink, my laundry under the shed is soaked, and the ground is flooded. Funny how customers are still coming for supplies to my sari sari store despite the storm. However, I am out of candles and batteries.
John Lennon lyrics came to my mind just now: “Nobdy told me there’d be days like these, strange days indeed.” Of course, we Filipinos know they do come all throughout the year.
I checked Facebook and the weather before my son awakened. There is a 100% chance of heavy rain today. The cyclone is supposed to exit the country sometime today but the monsoon rains will continue. Power is out in many places. Damage is not that extensive yet, that or it hasn’t been reported yet. People are crying on social media in my region. But this is life and we know blows like this and even worse do and will come our way.
It is getting light now as I peer through my curtains. My tarp in front of the bedroom window is tattered but remains standing. That will have to be replaced, but not today, as there is much to do for the day. The tarp will set me back 2,500 pesos. And laundry is obviously out of the question for the day.
I’ve already made preparations for more brownouts today: what’s left of my personal candles, a charged flashlight, checking to see if I had enough gasul (yes!) and prepping for the seige of rain. I’ll dig a little rut in the soppy ground to let the rain drain away from my back door, which is flooded. And thankfully, I hit the supermarket for food supplies yesterday just as the cyclone bbegan to arriv. We’re good in that regard, but work will have to wait. No clients have emailed me as of yet. And then there are people who were unprepared for the storm who will be reaching out for help. Rescue teams are hard at work from what I saw on Facebook.
The storm
Remember the storm on the Sea of Galilee in the Holy Bible? Jesus and His disciples were out crusing along and getting some fishing in for their food. Jesus was sleeping after a long day of preaching and teaching and walking around the towns surrounding the sea.
Suddenly, as often occurs even today in that region, a storm brewed up. It must have been a fierce one, because the experienced fishermen had been in many during their former career. But this one frightened them. Their boat was swamped with seawater. They propmtly woke Jesus up, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” (Luke 8:24, NIV).
Little did they know that Jesus was 100% in control, just as He is today. Nothing escapes the eyes of the Lord – absolutely nothing. What we may hide in secret, He already knows about it.
“He got up and rebuked the wind and raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.’Where is your faith’ he asked his disciples” (Luke 8:24-25, NIV).
Where is our faith? Should it not be in Jesus who alone calms the storms of our lives? It should be, but many do not look to Christ but instead make vain attamepts to calm the storms of their lives with feeble human efforts.
Look at the response from the disciples. You know they were tripping hard. “In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him’” (Luke 8:25, NIV).
Like the wind and the seas, we too should be obedient to Jesus. But unlike the wind, the sea and the elements, we have a choice to obey His commands or to disobey. We all disobey and that is sin. And when sin becomes too great in the eyes of the Lord, He intervenes and brings judgment using His agents, either other people or Satan’s minions. He allows it to discipline us because He is just and because He loves us.
The coming storm
Some scholars have suggested that the present and ongoing pandemic is but a small taste of judgment. I don’t know that for sure but it’s definitely a possibility. Sin has reached a crescendo in the world. People have looked to self and other gods (idols) in vain.
One day in the future Jesus will break the scroll as described in the book of Revelation and unleash judgment upon the earth. I don’t know your eschatology (the study of end times) but from studying it, it may well be that we who believe will be a part of the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation period that is sure to take place. Other scholars believe we will not see God’s wrath and be “caught up in the clouds” before the Great Tribulation begins.
What we do know for sure is that unbelievers will be a part all of the Tribulation and suffer greatly. Many will die. It will be a time of terrible travail and weeping. There is no escape for those who do not believe – they will even continue to curse God.
I encourage you to strongly take the time to consider believing on Jesus for your salvation. Only He is able to save us through the faith He alone gives. You cannot earn His gift as so many religions wrongly teach. While you consider this, keep in mind that your eternal destiny, that is, where you will spend your forever is at stake. May the Holy Spirit guide you in your decisions.
You and yours are not far from us. Most lost Internet, all lost power and most had damages incurred. About 5k here that I can figure Quit, calm and drizzle here now. We live another day!