In the midst of the Fire, there is Peace...

I was on board a jeepney when a child run and screamed “Fire at Cabantan!”. Cabantan is a few steps away from where we live and just a few meters away from where the jeepney was at halt. Shivers dash into my nerves as I looked for a smoke at Cabantan but there was none so I got more alarmed thinking that the fire might be in Baraks where we reside and not in Cabantan. When the jeepney moved an inch, I tried still to look for the blaze, and there it was! The FIRE was in our place! So I jumped out and headed towards our house half running, half flying! It was dark and I bumped into my mother-in-law who was nervously sending text messages to us. I went inside our house and ran upstairs to the bedroom passing by the terrace and saw that the fire was one house away! I rushed inside the room and carried the TV, then the cassette, Cd’s, the law dictionary and my bible! I went up to see what more can I get yet there was no time left because the fire was on the house next door! I stopped on the terrace and breathed deep…Then I prayed out loud “Lord Jesus, I can’t carry these things out for there is no more time…please let your power move and save us from the fire!” Then I started singing praises to God, thanking Him for all of his blessings. I called my husband who was attending a Discipleship Training and told him about the news and he calmly replied “Fire? Ok…let us just pray…” So then, I prayed again. I stood there on the terrace and stared at the fire that was consuming the house right next to ours and prayed.

What was so amazing was the peace I felt inside my heart at the very moment I called on God. There was so much tranquility within me that the thought of worrying or being anxious just disappeared. God just poured out such stillness that even if the fire was right next door I still stood at the terrace and sang praises to Him. The Lord prepared my heart for what is going to happen next. I surrendered everything to Him because I believe that all things work together for good to those who love Him and to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

I did not even dare get my costly law books that were piled on my desk. I did not even bother to take my clothes out especially when I heard the windows cracked and broke in pieces due to the heat. I said to myself, “There’s no more time for that! Lord I’m lifting all this up to You…”

It was really a tragic night for those who haven’t known the power of Christ and if they do know, they do not fully trust on what He can do. Would you believe that the fire did not cross from the house next door to our house? The distance is 2-3 feet away. Would you believe if I tell you that the fire, on its own, started to slow down yet did not stop but just stayed at the next house? If it grows stronger even just a bit, for sure the curtains inside our room would catch it and start burning our house as well. Would you believe that the fire continued burning the adjacent houses but did not include ours? I saw all of those and believed that God has planned to do something wonderful that night “For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5b), and God alone can do wondrous things (Psalm 72:18)

The night ended up with the Firemen being the late hero. There were more or less 50 houses that got burned. Our house was spared for God promised both my husband and I that he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalms 91:1). And “If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge, then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. (Psalms 91: 9-10). "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." (Psalms 91:14-16)
These are just a few of God’s promises to those who love Him and to those who do His will. Many times we underestimate what He can do. We forget that He is sovereign and we depend on our own capabilities. We tend to embrace the mentality that a human being can do all the things that his mind can perceive. Especially now that we are on the highly technical generation where inventions and innovations are booming yet slowly erasing the Creation story, the Salvation story and the Revelations out of our minds. Try asking the teenagers if they know who Adam and Eve are? Would they be able to answer if you ask them why Jesus Christ sacrificed His life and chose to die on the cross? Are we still preparing ourselves for the second coming as revealed by John in the book of Revelations?
Or are we too busy innovating? Researching for new business trends, or maybe, keeping up with what’s in!
During the fire, I was in a realization that all the things on earth will just pass away. The treasures here on earth returns to dust and so does man. All the material things that we possess now are ephemeral. I took good care of my law books and they are very dear to me but no matter how expensive they were, the fire doesn’t care! It all dawned on me that the peace of God is all that matters. And it is a gift that only He can give. “The LORD will give strength to His people and He will bless His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).
I believe that even if God allowed our house to be burned, I will be able to accept it because as noted earlier, all things work together for good to those who love Him. There is so much that God can do for me and also for you. But we need to put Him on the top priority list before He can reveal it to us.

I never expected that God is bigger than what I’ve known Him to be and even bigger than the biggest there is. No one can fathom who He is. But if we take time to get to know Him and desire to be His, you will be amazed!
Words are not enough to speak of His greatness! God is omnipotent that no one has a right to question His existence. The only best thing left for us to do is to believe that only God can answer all our questions. He is the reason of our existence.
Truly God is wonderful! Amen!