Sunday, June 29, 2008

Frank

Peals of thunder woke me up early that morning. The clock read 4 am. Outside my window, strong winds were howling, and the rain was pouring hard. Moments later came the power interruptions. There wasn't going to be a fine weather that Sunday.

When I got out of the dorm for church at 8:30, the winds had subsided—temporarily, at least—but the rain was unceasing. I made my way towards the waiting shed, waited for what seemed like 30 minutes for a jeep, and settled for a taxi instead. Everywhere the water was overflowing—along the Elliptical Road, Quezon Avenue, and Timog. The scenes made it easy to imagine the flood that put Noah's ark to good use.

Frank

I arrived 15 minutes late for Sunday worship. There were few people in the sanctuary, about an eighth of the usual number of attendees. But I had a blessed time. Few as we were, Pastor Bob didn't postpone our present pulpit series on the Ten Commandments.

I later learned that Frank (typhoons have male names nowadays, I wonder why) killed many and destroyed millions worth of properties. Why are calamities like this happening to us?

I'm sure the Lord ordained it to happen. Is he unjust in doing so? No, God can never be unjust. Though it's hard to imagine, everything that happens in the world is ultimately part of his plans. He is, and always will be, in control. Otherwise, he ceases to be God.

Right now I call to mind the victims and their families. The death toll has risen to three-digit figures. From what I understand a passenger ferry capsized in the course of the typhoon, drastically increasing the number of casualties. Operations are undergoing to retrieve the dead floating bodies, but, from the latest news, these were haulted because authorities have discovered toxic substances in the ship.

It makes me wonder all the more, “What if this happened to me?” Will I, like my hero Horatio Spafford, still sing joyfully, “It is well with my soul?”

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home