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On 8 November 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines), one of the most powerful tropical storms on record, caused tremendous damage when it made landfall in the province of Eastern Visayas, Philippines. More than 6,000 people were killed. The typhoon wiped out entire villages and over 14 million Filipinos in the typhoon impacted areas were affected. The Super Typhoon continued its path in the South China Sea and then struck northern Vietnam on 10 November 2013. “If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth” (Ecclesiastes 11:3). Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) had poured more than just rain on the earth; it had also caused much destruction and killed and displaced many Filipinos in that part of the world.
We note that in Ecclesiastes chapter 11 (v. 2, 5, 6) the phrase “you do not know” is repeated 3 times. There is also a similar comment in Ecclesiastes 11:5: “so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” There are lots of things “we do not know and cannot understand” where the “work of God” is concerned. Normally, tropical storms do not well up into such destructive forces impacting people and property. On another matter, neither do we understand how a foetus becomes a human being having unique life and personality.
King Solomon’s (The Preacher) words of caution to all people: “you do not know what disaster may come upon the land” (Ecclesiastes 11:2) should not deter us from action in our daily lives. If we were only to look and focus at the pitfalls and possibilities of failure in the things we do we would probably do nothing! We should respond to God who commands us to trust him in the things we do – we need to plan, execute and labour but the growth and increase is given by God. Jesus echoes this in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1–23), the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30) and in his instruction, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).
In the area of our stewardship to God, let us follow the example of the Macedonian Christians who gave themselves to the Lord and then to His service. “They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us” (2 Corinthians 8:5b).
