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.
Cute, 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.
But, do you know what I realized this time through? 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.
And 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 and God remembered Noah.
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.
As I went over those verses again and again in my mind, it came to me.
Faith is not building the ark. Faith is what happens inside the ark. Faith is not being able to see the Lord at work, but knowing that He is and that He will remember you.
Faith is waiting and that is the difficult part.
Girl, you are on a God-streak! WOOHOO! I love it! I rather like that you & I are matching one another’s steps in reading right now. Perhaps in doing so, you are helping me to see a new relevance to God’s word that I haven’t noticed on my own. Which brings me to another thought – am I really taking the time to meditate on what I’m reading and let God speak to me through it? No, I don’t think I am. But I need to.
“Faith is not building the ark. Faith is what happens inside the ark.” Amen! I’m shut in right now and patiently waiting. I have no doubt that while Noah was obedient and patient, he also found himself questioning what was happening, why and how much longer he would have to wait to get answers to his questions.
One of our cars has died and isn’t worth repairing. We’ve been dependent on the generosity of friends to loan us a vehicle (we’ve swapped out 3 so far) until God gives us another one (we can’t afford another payment). Right now, we aren’t seeing any means of that happening. I tend to ask God why He keeps us in the dark and allows us to have prolonged periods of doubt. But it’s in those moments where God is challenging the sincerity of my faith by saying, “Why are you asking Me? Trust Me.”
Thank you for helping me to see the relevance of Genesis and my life right now. 🙂
I love this. SO good and soo true. Thank you for putting that into perspective!
I have never, ever, ever liked waiting. I guess that’s why He’s given me so many opportunities to do so! 🙂 I’m getting better at it though, which is why I think I am starting now to see movement in areas.
Have a great day!
Nancy
http://www.workingmomadventures.com
http://www.thefootballnovice.com
Great post! I always need to be reminded that waiting on the Lord is what faith is all about. You’re right, I overloooked the fact that Noah had to sit in that boat full of stinky animals & his family for over a year. I can’t imagine being in a situation like that. But God didn’t leave him there. And when Noah got off the boat, he worshiped God. I have to admit that I don’t always remember to worship God after he brings me through a period of waiting.
Thanks for sharing this post!