Trials come for our sake, to reveal the foundation that we have laid our lives and to strengthen those which follow righteousness and peace. James tells us that we have to patiently bear all situations because this develops endurance that will sustain us through life. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4). To bear our trials with joy does not mean we are always smiling over our situations but we bear these trials with hope, love and cheerfulness. We are only cheerful however if we know that beyond these afflictions and troubles, the Lord is developing in us an inner fortitude that could handle greater blessedness. The gold is purified under intense pressure and heat in the furnace. Our afflictions are intended to do the same, deliver us from evil and keep us focused to the eternal.

The apostle Peter consoling his fellow Jews who were scattered abroad wrote, “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you”(2 Peter 1:3-11). 

The passage above tells us that if these qualities: faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love are increasing in us, then we will not be useless and blind. It is through these qualities that we are granted an ample and abundant supply of the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If these qualities are increasing in you, then everything that you touch on earth will have the touch of heaven in it because the Lord is with you. The statement, “for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom….will be abundantly supplied to you” is also translated as “and God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11 TLB). The gates of heaven are open to our pleas and God will grant our petitions for as long as we abide in these divine attributes. Could there be a greater favour that this?

What about encountering a situation such as confusion in the emergency room because of the overwhelming pressure of treating too many patients? Aren’t you glad that when you utter a prayer of peace and healing in the place and wisdom for the doctors, everything becomes calm and people’s lives are being saved? Or when you pray God’s wisdom for the cops and they solved every carnapping and kidnapping incidence with zero casualty? Such divine wisdom is better than sitting as the Commander in chief or the Mayor of a big city but then had no mind how to solve a crisis situation quickly and peacefully.

The armies of heaven are released to do God’s will upon a place or person whenever we pray for them. Just as ignorance is the greatest hindrance for the power of God to work on our behalf, knowledge and wisdom increases our understanding so that we can be prepared to do His will. Every act of violence, every deed of lawlessness has its origin in the pit of hell. Certainly, it matters most to save the lives of those who are affected by it; indifference is the only response of a naïve or ignorant leader. If we go to war, we must acquire all the training that we need, all the equipment that we have to use and the people to train us.

Prepare plans by consultation, and make war by wise guidance. Proverbs 20:18

A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases power. For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. Proverbs 24:5-6

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,  who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; My lovingkindness and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge,  who subdues my people under me. Psalms 144:1-2

We cannot allow such things to just happen without doing anything. We have to be responsible as citizens of this good country and as heavenly citizens too. As the bus hostage crisis had revealed, one cannot remain ignorant, inept and indifferent on matters of national security and the safety of people. Heroes are born whenever they turn around what could be a deadlock situation so that lives are protected. In this situation, Pres. Noynoy and Mayor Lim turned out to be paralyzed by their analysis. Whenever emergencies happen, one cannot remain ignorant of what to do; you have to act on it first-hand.

You do not wait for your subordinates to tell you what to do, rather, you tell them what to do. That is decisive leadership which is required by such urgent situations. But what do we have? Noynoy showed his ineptness to act on the situation, by only coming to Luneta in the evening, when the hostage taker was already tired and his demands unmet. Simply said, his true leadership capabilities are barely what had been advertised by the media. This is not the last for he has six years to go but let us be on the alert and keep praying for wisdom and courage to make him the man that we have aspired him to be in the highest office.

I admire the training and commitment that the Boy Scout and Girl Scout organization have done for our little boys and girls because these trains them to be ready at all times to save lives in times of disaster as well as help during times of relative calmness. Since most disasters do not come with a chime, let us all be alert at all times, ready and equipped to deal with any kind of emergency events such as typhoons, floods, and hostage crises. Whether we are civilians or officers in the government, it is for our safety to know and be prepared for such situations

Because the police assault team that were sent to contain the situation were ill-equipped, ill-prepared and seemingly unable to coax the hostage taker into a table of negotiation, the result was an unnecessary loss of lives. The first test of King Solomon when he governed Israel was to either save the life of a little boy or cut it into half. Because of his wisdom, he was able to not only save the life of the baby but also to punish the crafty woman who unwittingly killed her own son. Every government will be known by their priorities and focus, if we will focus on saving the lives of others, we will also reap what we sow. But if we ignore the lives of others, then we must also prepare to reap death. Those governments who prioritized the death of their children and their families by abortion and divorce have reaped a culture of violence and unstable culture and societies that are ready to be erased and redrawn.

I did not give my comments immediately on the matter since I must also judge myself whether I am speaking this out of anger and condemnation or out of love and concern. It matters that the spirit we abide should not only be in the truth but also out of love. On things that I myself have not dealt with, I ask the Lord for wisdom how to write my comments so that I could better represent Him befitting a King that is above all majesty and honor in the universe. To walk in love means that I not only write out of mere passion, but also to write out of honor and respect of those who can be affected. To be imitators of God, we have to walk in love as Christ also walked, trying to learn what is pleasing to Him. But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ…Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another (Ephesians 4:15, 25).