KEY SCRIPTURE: Genesis 7:1
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
RELEVANCE
How wonderful this moment must have been for Noah. After years of faithfulness to his Lord, family, community and the animals, here is the perfect finish to half a lifetime of following God to the letter.
Cast your mind back, if you can, to the times of Noah. Moral and idolatrous perversity was everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Noah stood out.
Had it not been for his forebears raising him in the bold and powerful faith required to prevail, he would have been washed away by the same flood of degeneracy.
Fortunately, God brought him a wife—a helpmeet—to walk in the paths of righteousness, the opposite direction to the rest of the world. Indeed the road less travelled.
Do you see a resemblance between yourself and Noah? Walking according to the Lord but contrary to the published narrative? Finding it difficult to hide from godless behaviour? Adhering to righteous white principles in a society brandishing every colour other than white?
Then they had to raise children in a world soon to be drowned for its corruption and to find committed wives for them. Wives who would not run back home at the notion of building an Ark in a world that hasn't seen rain. Wives who would not desert the ship long before it was built or mock the leader when he suggested collecting and corralling God's inconceivable zoo. It takes special people to remain faithful to that type and length of work.
It seems Noah was an Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. (Eph 4:11). He set up his small church, focused on future events, kept strict separation, called others to repentance, shepherded his flock and taught the structure.
That vital Ark was built on, by and through faith. Noah led seven souls for many years, helping their faith with positive input, keeping them accurately building each step, and showing them by example that, despite having such a seemingly unimportant church for fellowship, there was really nowhere else to go.
When we come to Christ, we take on the righteousness of a long-term builder, which is necessary for our journey. Noah's Ark is a matter of fact. But it is also a great example of perseverance in righteousness. Sometimes you may not be able to visualise your completed life. Noah says to go back to the blueprint, get your bearing and keep building yourself up in Jesus Christ to withstand any storm.
Reading between the lines of Noah's Bible story, we understand more of the intricacies of how God calls us to keep going despite, at times, the journey seeming odd or lonely. We see what the end resulted in. Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
Written another way, this could be Jesus saying, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:23)
Years are both long and short. They seem long at the beginning, but in the end, we find them shorter than estimated, with things in our lives still needing to be changed. Noah shows us to resist the temptation to retire defeated, and keep building. Continue sharing the reason for your faith with your family, helping them understand and build themselves. And praise the Lord that you have the ability to follow in faith being led by the Spirit. How miraculously exciting.
It comes as no surprise that God invited Noah and his family into the Ark. What a moment!
PRAYER
Dear Lord, thank you for Noah's faithfulness. It doesn't come as any surprise that God invited him in. I know that's a Bible story, and I'm a human, so help me with my faith in building an Ark fit for all waters.
Photo by Elias Null
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