Red Rain Alert and Long Brownouts

It’s too dark to see whether it is raining cats and dogs, but it is definitely raining hard as if 50 little drummer boys were steadily pounding their snares. Electrical power went out during supper last evening so it resulted in an unplanned quasi romantic candlelight dinner. Our boy broke the flashlight.

Red rain alert

I loaded some data to my smartphone to access the Internet so I could check the PAGASA website. Meanwhile, I kept receiving text messages of first orange and then red rain alerts. I had to silence the notifications because they came so darn often. Before the light faded from the sky yesterday the porches were flooded and the yard was beginning to flood. It’s still too dark to see the conditions outdoors as I write. I’m imagining we have a new lake right outside the door.

Brownouts

We all tend to get accustomed to brownouts in the Philippines, perhaps too used to them. They are frustrating when you have plans. Among other problems, they remind me that the #Philippines remains a third-world country.

It doesn’t matter how many new roads and bridges are built if the government is unable to upgrade an inefficient power grid. It’s inexcusable as far as I am concerned. The bigshots in power have their huge generators and carry on with life unaware of the fact we peasants have little recourse. We never matter to them until it is election time.

Temporary misery

When its 29 Celsius and the power goes out, especially when you have small children who are already becoming cranky from a long day indoors, everyone in the family becomes somewhat irritable. Thankfully as Christians we are reminded to control our emotions to a ceratin extent, but children know no better. We know that all things are temporary so we wait patiently and at times impatiently, like when the water supply is cut off as it was yesterday around 6 p.m. The water is still off this morning.

Temporary light

I was fortunate enough to have completed my seminary lecture yesterday before the power went out. But I always make it a point to follow up on the lecture by doing some Bible reading on the related topic of the day. We were studying the book of Lamentations. I turned on the little light my other half bought from #Lazada. Actually, she had bought two for situations like we were subjected to. That gal is always on #Lazada and #Shopee!

The reading

I read the first 5 chapters of Lamentations. The writer is not definitely known, but scholars believe it could have been the prophet Jeremiah. It was written shortly after the destruction of Judah. Whomever it was, he was an eyewitness to the destruction of Judah and the Temple in Jerusalem when the Babylonians beseiged it for two years, beginning in 588 B.C.

The walls around the great city were torn down, all the structures and homes were burned to the ground, the treasury was looted of its gold, silver and jewels, and thousands upon thousands were brutally put to the sword, while the rest were carried away into captivity in 586 B.C. Interestingly enough, the poor were left behind. The ruthless Babylonians had no use for them.

But God did! Later he would use those people who still lived and their offspring to rebuild the city and its walls after the 70 years of judgment.

God’s judgment

Where there is great sin, God’s judgment eventually comes. Both Israel in the north and Judah in the south had sinned greatly against the Lord by not keeping the covenant. The covenant was a contract with the people of God which essentially stated: You do this and I’ll do that. There were stipulations included in the event the two nations failed to keep their end of the bargain: God’s judgment.

The people of a then decimated Judah were in deep sorrow. Parents were forced to eat their children, there was no food. Famine was everywhere. They could not farm the land because their enemy the Edomites had moved into the land since they had sided with the Babylonians. The Edomites even sold the poor into slavery.

God’s judgment lasted for 70 years after the destruction of the Temple. Jeremiah’s prophecy (and that of other contemporary prophets) had come true. The people were is disarray with no leaders. They did not know what to do about their future.

Lessons learned

As you read in Lamentations there are applicable truths anybody can apply for today when suffering and sin abound. Sadly, most Christians couldn’t tell you what the book of Lamentations is all about. They could tell you what’s trending on Twitter and what’s popular on Netflix, however. That’s a sad but nevertheless true statement.

First of all, God never fails. His plan cannot be thwarted. He never fully abandons people unless they abandon Him. The solution, as the survivors learned was to remain loyal to God.

The survivors of Judah also learne that they needed to move on In times of distress, we too can apply this in our lives. It doesn’t man we cannot mourn our losses of loved ones, friends and property. But we have to move on.

We, like they, always have hope. As long as God continues to allow us to breathe there is hope. We have to recognize this fact rather than dismiss God as if He is done with us.

Instead, we must do certain things: pray for our deliverance; remain assured that God is still working in our lives and fulfilling His plan and take comfort knowing it; we must continue to praise and glorify God for His plan for us and accept His will in any given tragedy; and realize that God will never abandon His faithful.

Maintain your hope. Those of you who have drifted away from God, repent and come back to Hs accepting arms. Those of you who do not believe, I encourage you to come to Jesus. Our nations have, like Israel and Judah have sinned greatly. Judgment is occurring and more is coming. Do not be misled like Israel, Judah and the nations throughout history. Judgment will come unlike any in the history of time as we know it.

Addendum

When light came upon the province, I ventured out in the driving wind and rain to ascertain why we had no Internet. Following the line I observed it dangling – the antenna had been blown away. Using my data, I found that many are still without power and Internet all over La Union and north into Baguio City and beyond.

As I close, there is no telling when Globe will make repairs, but I will, as General MacArthur did, return. May you all take heart and realize that our suffering and misery is but for a short while.

Hope is on the way in His timing.