I want you to build an ark, Noah.
A what?
There is going to be a flood, Noah.
A what?
God asked Noah to create something that no one had ever seen because He was about to do something He had never done. And, Noah? Well, he was obedient and did all that God instructed Him to do.
Doesn’t every child that ever went to Sunday School know this story? The righteous Noah, the ark and all of the animals – what a cute story.
It’s cute. It’s inspiring. Yet, my eyes were drawn to these words…
And the Lord shut him in.
I imagine Noah watching the door close and not fully comprehending what was about to happen. The rain begins to beat against the boat and the waves begin to get rocky.
Friends, Noah was on the ark a long, long time. He was in the ark for 370 days. The Lord shut him in and then, nothing except wind and waves for over a year. It occurred to me that building the ark was not the difficult part. Did people understand what he was doing? No. Did folks laugh at him and call him crazy? Probably. But, that was not the hard part. After all, Noah had a clear word from the Lord and he was going with it.
The part that is completely overlooked is what happened between the Lord shut him in (Genesis 7:16) and God remembered Noah (Genesis 8:1.)
You know what happened? He waited. And he waited. Then, he waited some more.
Come on now. Someone wants to testify.
The Lord tells him to get into this boat. He shuts him in and, then, silence. Can you even imagine? Of course you can – because we have all had our moments of waiting on the Lord.
Building the ark was an act of obedience. What took place inside the ark, however, was pure faith. Faith is sitting in a dark place. It is holding on tight as you are rocked by the waves. It is knowing that, no matter how uncomfortable the circumstances, you are exactly where God wants you to be.
Faith is not being able to see the Lord at work, but knowing that He is and that He will remember you.
amen so true! such a good read!
Love this. And no lie! Right after I typed “love this” I looked out my window and saw a white dove fly STRAIGHT up into the air. LOL I’m so grateful we can be assured that he WILL remember us.
Exactly what I needed this morning while sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. The visit could go good or bad but I’m thankful for the peace of God!
Oh how I love this so!! Thank you for sharing.
http://www.savortheessenceoflife.com/2013/08/10/3-facts-for-the-day-i-need-your-help-edition/
“What took place inside the ark, however, was pure faith. Faith is sitting in a dark place. It is holding on tight as you are rocked by the waves. It is knowing that, no matter how uncomfortable the circumstances, you are exactly where God wants you to be.”
Thank you from a new reader who will absolutely be back.
Wow! Never looked at the Noah’s Ark story like that. Just the obedience part. But the Spirit was really showing you something else that we all needed to hear. “He shut him in.” Faith in the dark when life’s circumstances bounce you around like you’re riding the waves and crashing into the sides of the boat–all beat up. I’ll be remembering this as I walk through this trial in my life. God will remember me.
Thank you, Stacey,
Janis
Like Janice, I had never looked at this story through THAT perspective. The obedience is obviously integral, but the faith through the long, dark night is the real gem here! Thank you Stacy for being obedient to the Spirit’s call and bringing this one back out. I needed a reminder that faith must accompany obedience; we can’t just say, “Ok, God, I did what you asked, now WHERE ARE YOU?”. Just wait, just wait, He has not forsaken me!
A great reminder! We look so much at obedience following faith, but need to be reminded that after obedience, we must continue in faith, and continue…and continue….God’s timing does not always coinside with our “daytimer.”
This is a beautiful post-such a good reminder for me!