Obedience
Friday, June 12
Obedience
Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Genesis 6:15
There is a funny meme going around on social media of an ark with the caption – If you see someone building one of these let me know. The story of Noah is a rather interesting one. Just imagine for a moment. You live your normal life, bringing up your sons and taking care of the family. You try your best to live a righteous life and because of that you find favor with God in the time of a global pandemic, God tells you to build a boat. While it sounds comical, this is exactly what happened to Noah. Because the earth was so corrupted and filled with violence, the Lord decided to destroy the mankind. But the righteousness of Noah saved him and his whole family.
The Lord spoke to Noah and told him to make an ark which would be a refuge in the time of a flood. He gave Noah very specific instructions to build this ark, telling him which wood to use and not to forget to coat it inside and out with pitch.
For Noah, who had no experience in this area, this must be intimidating. Yet we find Noah’s response in Genesis 6:22 ‘Noah did this; according to all that God commanded him, that is what he did’. He did all that was asked of him. He didn’t add to it, nor did he miss out anything.
The rain started and poured down until it covered the earth. Noah and his family spent about a year in the ark before they saw land again. The Lord knew what was ahead of Noah. That’s why He gave him direct instructions on building the ark, not leaving out any important details. Every detail mattered in the time of a flood, the type of wood, the length, the width, the height of the ark and the coating with pitch. Had Noah left anything out or substituted any of the instructions with his own ideas, the end of the story might have been different. The water would have gone through the seams without pitch. If Noah decided to use a different wood, it would have rotted the wood during such a long flood. The end result would be different.
The Lord knows what is ahead of us, He knows what difficulties we might meet in life, and because of His love and care for His children, He gives us a plan to follow. His instructions might not make any sense beforehand. They might be time-consuming to follow, or different from what you may thing, but in the time of the ‘flood’, they will play a significant role in sustaining your life.
Today, it may not make sense however, when you follow the leading of God all the pieces will fall into its rightful place and when it comes, you will be forever grateful that you listened and followed the Lord.
Prayer for today: Dear Lord, I thank You that even during this crisis You are willing to give us direction and guidance in life. Help us to be obedient to Your voice and do what You ask of me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.