On the eve of June 29, 2011, a tragic event happened to Davao City that took the lives of 30 people, including helpless infants who slipped away from their parents who fought the currents to save their children. The flash flood came like a "thief in the night" and submerged the areas of Matina and Bangkal. Some families abandoned their bedrooms and found refuge on the rooftops where they stayed for the night until the floodwaters receded. Those who were able to sleep awoke at the sight of mud covering their possessions and had to spend the whole day (even days) cleaning their houses. The disaster may have only lasted for hours but it will take days, weeks, and even months for the flood victims to fully rebuild their houses, and to others, their lives. In the midst of this tragedy, people cannot fail to ask: Why? And, why Davao? A lot of people, including Christians, are confused why this happened to them and to a city known for safety. Davaoeños were caught off-guard for such a devastating event. For years, people lived in confidence, oblivious to the coming currents that would shake the foundations on which they build their lives on. However, the Word of God reminds us that a time of shaking will indeed come. In Hebrews 12:26, God promised that, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” True enough, these shakings are becoming more prevalent in our days, with earthquakes and typhoons happening almost everyday. In all these, how should we respond? What does God want His people to be at this time of shaking? To answer these, Ptr. Festin outlines Biblical principles that will encourage us to become unshakable and endure the waves of problems that will come to us these last days.
