In the good old days, Jamaican churches sang gospel songs called choruses and one “riding horse” or song frequently sung was called When God get ready, you got to move. In those days practically all Jamaicans, young and old, knew that song by heart since the older folk voluntarily learnt it as they attended church every week at least twice a week; and the younger ones had no choice but to learn it because their parents, grandparents or step-parents said so and dragged them to church. That song seems more relevant with each passing day in this 21st century as local, national, regional and international phenomena develop.

Last year, Nicole and Tomas forced many Jamaicans to move away from their beloved properties to avoid the dangers of flooding, landslides and other potential disasters from storms. Adjustments were also forced in national activities through storms, deaths, or other unforeseen happenings. Myriad more low-key developments forced individuals to change plans, and only the very religious among us stopped to think that even the tiniest details or occurrences in one’s life were guided by an invisible, divine arm. The theological contemplation here is whether or not God is in control of history. Jamaicans who reject the existence of God might not have seen divine deliverance in the movement of Tomas away from Jamaica and even firm believers might have wondered why Barbados, Haiti and other Caribbean countries were targeted by Tomas, as if God did not care to spare those regions. Then again, why did God allow Nicole to nail Jamaica?

Deepest condolences to all who mourn the passing of families and friends in 2010. As loved ones pass away, prices rise, politicians are put up or brought down, natural disasters strike and time moves on unstoppably, one is wont to wonder what meaning, if any, there is to life. Consequently, mankind has deified myriad entities, such as time, sun, moon, water, wind, fire, earth, and even death itself, due to their tremendous impact on life. Ancient Greeks and Romans worshipped their pantheons of deities, having one for every important aspect of human existence, with Zeus and Jupiter leading the groups of gods. Judeo-Christianity offers the Elohim concept of one God who is three or many in one, a concept borrowed from Egypt, Sumer and other African religions, yet Christians downplay or shun the many-gods aspect of Yahwehism. However, the brevity of life and its numerous unplanned and unexpected phenomena force all humans to ponder the possibility of the existence of a God who controls it all.

The Bible teaches that Satan or the devil is the god of this world, meaning that Beelzebub is boss of the planet, with God’s permission. Yet, says the Bible, God can overrule Baal whenever He chooses. Pauline theology reassures believers that Yahweh re-works all life’s happenings, whether disastrous or delightful, for the good of all of God’s children. But many believers die before they see any sense in many of the disastrous happenings in this life, leaving them only the hope of the afterlife when, according to one theological school, “We will understand it better by and by.” A different school of thought suggests that “God helps those who help themselves” and this writer believes that the Bible is a masterful work in dialectics, even if not the Hegelian type, hence both concepts are true: God alone is in control; mankind provides the hands of God. Readers should contemplate that point in relation to personal, national and international matters. Who controls your life, your country and your world?

Young Jamaicans should be spared the disappointment of learning from living long lives that things are not really what they seem to be. Bob Marley said: “They say what we know/Is just what they teach us/And we’re so ignorant/’Cause every time they can reach us/…Well what we know/Is not what they tell us/We’re not ignorant/I mean it…” The truth is that there are countries and individuals who run things on Earth for both God and Satan, while these supernatural powers work behind the scenes through the aforementioned human hands, hearts and minds. It has never been entirely true that hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters are purely “acts of God”. Even the Bible portrays disasters as sometimes acts of God, sometimes acts of the devil and sometimes human folly and wickedness. At times, theologically and practically, some happenings, like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, may be interpreted as having human, divine and demonic origins, all in one. The current global recession is not a natural occurrence, and neither are any of the numerous wars that are being fought in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, The Sudan and elsewhere. Economics, sociology, theology and all the so-called disciplines of academia are loaded with lies, inaccuracies and sometimes demonism.

The bottom line is that whether while facing hurricanes, economic tsunamis or floods of murders, Jamaicans must think wisely about possible causes and find the guts to “get up, stand up” and fight for their rights and liberties. If not, there is very little hope for national advancement and salvation because the world is full of evil men who often work harder at evil than good people do at righteousness. As globalism and New World Order chicaneries sweep the planet, the survival and prosperity of Jamaicans lie in the hands of Jamaicans. Fate, Nature or God will ultimately prevail, but common sense dictates that the will of the gods can only materialise through human activities. Life’s dialectics show that lack of education, laziness, cowardice, and other weaknesses lead to personal and national failure while learning, industry, bravery and other acts of strength lead to prosperity. Marley reminded us: “You reap what you sow/And every one know now.” For all practical purposes, reaping time is God’s time. And when God gets ready…

INMerv@hotmail.com