Unfolding Moments in History

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Quote of the week:
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Rom 8:19-21 NIV).
“When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened…….. ” (Luke 21:9 NIV)
“………There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains” (Mark 13:8 NIV)
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We are living in a time and age characterised by unprecedented opportunities as well as challenges. The opportunities provided with continuous increase in knowledge and technologies have driven innovation and advancement at a break neck speed. Space exploration, genetic science, nuclear technology, aerospace and structural engineering designs coupled with developments in telecommunication, transportation and multimedia industry which are chu
ing out products and services that are not only amazing but equally baffling are simply unimaginable. The opportunities offer a vast ocean of possibilities, to the extent that the word ‘impossible’ is fading out of our day-to-day communication on the account of the ingenuity that man is demonstrating in our days. The political landscape across the world and, in particular, the democratic revolution that is sweeping across the Arab world is equally happening at an unbelievable pace that no one could ever imagine its possibility some one or two years ago. The governed are demanding liberty, freedom of speech and better quality of life from their government. This is indeed an interesting moment in history.

It is interesting to know that just as opportunities abound, so also are the challenges of different magnitude and size. Events in the last three months have been astonishing: catalogues of natural disaster that are unequalled in history, starting with ferocious fire that spread across the western states of Australia near Perth which left a vast state of devastations; the magnitude 6.3 earthquake at Christchurch in New Zealand which left wide spread damage that was described has the deadliest natural disaster in 80 years. Following this was the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck the north coast of Japan, which also triggered a tsunami that has claimed almost 10000 lives and brought the entire country of Japan to its knee. The fallout from this is still unfolding and the overall impact in terms of physical loss, emotional and psychological damage will be colossal. Particularly with most of the country’s nuclear power stations within the affected area not only spiralling out of control but also threatening the country with radiation emission that exposes the country to all sorts of unimaginable risk both in the short term and for a long time.

One crucial question that has constantly come up on my mind is, “How do we respond to events in the unfolding moments?” After some careful thoughts I have come to the conclusion that we must maintain a balanced view by:
• Understanding the limitation of man: We are at a threshold of history with unprecedented discoveries, innovations, advancement and achievements in almost every aspect of human endeavour. Nevertheless, we are also bombarded constantly with happenings that no one seems to have ever thought of or prepared for, at a pace and magnitude that stretches human ability beyond limits. This simply tells me that ’the best of men is still a man’. Despite the level and depth of knowledge that the human race has demonstrated, we must come to terms with the reality that there is still so much that is unknown to us.
• Recognising that God rules in the affairs of mankind: Looking at the vastness of oceans and the expanse of the galaxies and all they consist, it is simply amazing the way they are arranged in their impeccable order. With all the knowledge that is available to mankind, ground breaking discoveries are announced by scientists on a consistent basis. These discoveries already existed but only became known to human beings at one point in life either at the moment (present) or in future. This tells me that there is a God who created all things. The fact that all catastrophic happenings (natural disasters) we are witnessing around the world are also mere fulfilment of Bible predictions does not only confirm the existence of God but also strengthens my conviction that we all need God, and that without the God of the Bible, humankind cannot amount to much.