Protection amid life’s uncertainties

Charlie Señase csenase@yahoo.com

TIME and time again, trials and sorrows are earthshaking for humanity to endure and prevail as a result of our forebears’ disobedience and double-mindedness that death came into being. With almost everything on the rise, we were stunned by the earthquake-related death toll of 8.3K and still counting as emergency search and rescue operations are still underway in hard-hit Turkey and Syria.

When the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck early this week, the fatalities were only over 3,500 then suddenly rose to more than 8,000. The sorrow and pain felt by those who lost loved ones, abodes and properties, prompted international humanitarian organizations and neighboring countries, like the PH to respond with dispatch.

Despite higher inflationary rate this year under the Marcos administration, the sending of an emergency response team and dole-outs to the afflicted are on the right direction. Some wonder, why assist natural calamity-hit areas and not man-made disaster areas like the still ongoing Russia-Ukraine war? PH security experts explained that in any armed conflict, neutrality is better than being misconstrued as partisan, especially for developing countries like the Philippines. As we can see, only developed countries or the so-called “super powers” publicly manifest their artillery and man-power support. Ukraine supporters include the US, UE, and NATO among others. And such posturing of support against Russia has alarmed the United Nations citing for a possible much bigger armed confrontation with each of their allied countries.

The UN apprehension over the non-stop exchange of Ukraine-Russia firepower since it first started has now accounted to more than 200K troops killed from both sides according to a BBC report. Ukraine President Zelensky, however, said only about 1,300 of his soldiers were killed.

Indeed, true that history repeats itself, as a good friend would fondly refer to as “the return of the come back.” For it has been prophesied more than 2K years ago to be on guard against frequent tremors that God will shake not only the earth but also the firmament because of humanity’s wickedness and evil deeds. God’s warning on nations and kingdoms infighting in wars and man-made pestilences, starvation and love growing cold happen because of dishonesty and deception abounding (Matthew 24).

On global pestilences to look back include the Spanish Flu of 1918 that killed 50 million people, the HIV-AIDS from 1981-2011 had accounted to 25 million people dead and the 14th century pandemic known as “Black Death” killed an estimated 75 to 200 million. And now we have the COVID plague and its variants from 2019-2023 that has a death toll of 6.83 million with confirmed 754.81 million positive and 13.16 billion vaccinated ones. Indeed, death comes in many forms and ways, either natural, accidental, violent or ailment that all want to be saved. But how?

LORD deliver us and save us for Your mercy-sake, for in death there is no remembrance of You and in the grave who will give You thanks? (Psalm 6:4-5). God will bring justice to the poor and save the children of the needy. He will break to pieces the oppressor (Psalm 72:4). And went on saying – I will spare the poor and the needy and will save their souls. I will redeem their lives from oppression and violence. And precious shall be their blood in My sight (Psalm 72:13-14).