#110a Barmy haze(8oct06)

‘O God, You are my God. Early will I seek You. My soul thirsts for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the Sanctuary. To see Your power and Your glory..’
Psalm 63:1

Spiritual oppression is very real, yet an experience very few of us are cognitive of, for we are too enamored with the ways of the world and its treasures to be sensitive of our torpid spiritual state.

At the very unhealthy PSI index of 140 and still climbing, many of us are starting to feel more than a little irritation not just to the throat, but our whole sense of well being has taken a decidedly downswing.
Of course, we are still relatively blessed compared to our counterparts in Borneo Island(comprising of Kalimantan in Indonesia, Brunei and Sarawak/Sabah in East Malaysia).

At PSI levels in excess of 300, life is indeed hazardous there. Ever wondered what the great White Rajah of Sarawak, James Brooke thoughts are if he was still alive. His wonderful green wonderland, his fiefdom of Sarawak with its crisp, clear air, a green ecolung to the world( next to the other green lung the great Amazon forests), now totally despoiled by the acrid smoke blown across from the other half of Borneo.

‘Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you?
It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him!’
Amos 5:18

In my days of great frustration with this fairly recent(maybe 10 yrs) annual phenomenon of being blanketed by the selfishness and greed of man’s irresponsible action, one sometimes sinfully wish that the perpetrators of our woes in the midst of their heinous acts, will just meet a smoked out Orang Utan and get their just desserts.

Alas it is not to be, for the real culprits are likely to be ensconced in some faraway comfortable clear air zone, enjoying the ill-gotten fruits of their devilish actions and leaving their underlings to fan the flames and fend for themselves from man and nature’s wrath.

‘For surely I will command. And will sift the house of Israel among all nations.
As grain is sifted in a sieve. Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground…’
Amos 9:9

Woe will be the day when the PSI crosses the threshold of human viability. Greed does bring out the worst in us, and with the trend towards bio-fuel as an alternative to the devil’s goo (ie carbon fuel), it is likely that more virgin jungle not just in our vicinity but in the Amazon will be subjected to the much magnified ‘slash and burn’ seasonal regularity, as more palm oil plantations and other agro based land are replanted.

Yet, this sense of aggrievement and haplessness is but a continued possible sampling of the day of the 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the Earth will burn, for where there is smoke, there is fire.

The world after the great Krakatoa vocalno eruption in 1883 and its subsequent volcanic ash caused haze, had the opportunity for quite a few months, to witness pink, green and yellow sun or moon, with a green sky backdrop.

London had its great smog in 1952. Today, we have our haze in South East Asia, which do carry over to the other parts of the world as the smog travels, to seek company and solace with the industrial haze emanating from China into Hong Kong.

‘Surely, the Lord God does nothing. Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets……’
Amos 3:7

“Where would you be the next twenty four hours??” For the watch enthusiasts, we are not talking about Patek Phippe, but rather for all watchful believers, we know not when Jesus Christ returns, but we know we must be ready when He does.

‘The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever that we may all the words of this law’
Deuteronomy 29:29

God wants us to repent of our sins. He wants us to accept His love, His grace for salvation is ours to take. He wants our faithful obedience.
To want to do the will of God is within our ability and control.

Where would you be if the PSI Index crosses 400??

Rather than wish for the return of the balmy, clear sky days or be driven crazy or barmy by the oppressive haze, while not, take time to reflect upon this closing verse

‘And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in the book.
And the Lord rocked them out of their land in anger, and in wrath , and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.’
Deuteronomy 29:28
God Blesses
Eng Hieang