Trust
Read Genesis 7:1-24.
I try to imagine what it must have been like in the ark in those initial moments and days. As the rain begins, as they begin to hear it pound on the upper deck, as they sit perhaps in the dark below (along with the animals), what would Noah and his family have been thinking, feeling, wondering?
What have we gotten ourselves into?
Will God really destroy everything? Who is this God, anyway?
Where is the bathroom on this boat?
Did I close that window?
Will this thing really float?
I've sat in the dark from time to time. It's unnerving, especially when you're used to having light on command. But storms come and sometimes the power goes out and you're left in the dark. A couple of weeks ago, our power went out on a Sunday evening for no apparent reason. (Duke Energy never did let us know why.) In those moments, we light candles or dig out flashlights and try to go on with life until the power comes back on. This morning, there are people who are in far worse situations in Florida. For some, not only is the power out but the house is gone. I can usually know that the power will be back on in hours or so. Many of those in the southern part of our country have no idea when they will get power back...or a place to live...or when life will resume its normal course. (Find out how you can help here.)
They are probably closer in the way they feel to Noah than I ever am. Noah lost everything. He had to make a choice: do I trust that God will bring me through this? Do I believe that God is trustworthy? I wonder how often his family asked him that (after all, they hadn't heard God speak to them; God only spoke to Noah).
It's the same question we have to ask when we face storms or losses in our own lives. Do I trust that this God will bring me through? Do I trust that God sees me, knows me, and will not leave me?
Honestly, some days I do better than others in trusting. I know in my head that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). But when the storms come, sometimes it's hard to get that belief and that trust filtered down into my heart.
I'm guessing there were days when that was hard for Noah, as well. But as days turned into weeks, as the ark continued to float on the water, he had to fall back on the decision he had already made, the decision that was his as soon as he started building the ark. I will trust you, God, with my life and the life of my family. I will trust you with the destiny of the world. I will do what you ask me to, and I will serve you for the rest of my life. In that sort of trust lay Noah's only hope. In that sort of trust lies our only hope as well.
I try to imagine what it must have been like in the ark in those initial moments and days. As the rain begins, as they begin to hear it pound on the upper deck, as they sit perhaps in the dark below (along with the animals), what would Noah and his family have been thinking, feeling, wondering?
What have we gotten ourselves into?
Will God really destroy everything? Who is this God, anyway?
Where is the bathroom on this boat?
Did I close that window?
Will this thing really float?
I've sat in the dark from time to time. It's unnerving, especially when you're used to having light on command. But storms come and sometimes the power goes out and you're left in the dark. A couple of weeks ago, our power went out on a Sunday evening for no apparent reason. (Duke Energy never did let us know why.) In those moments, we light candles or dig out flashlights and try to go on with life until the power comes back on. This morning, there are people who are in far worse situations in Florida. For some, not only is the power out but the house is gone. I can usually know that the power will be back on in hours or so. Many of those in the southern part of our country have no idea when they will get power back...or a place to live...or when life will resume its normal course. (Find out how you can help here.)
They are probably closer in the way they feel to Noah than I ever am. Noah lost everything. He had to make a choice: do I trust that God will bring me through this? Do I believe that God is trustworthy? I wonder how often his family asked him that (after all, they hadn't heard God speak to them; God only spoke to Noah).
It's the same question we have to ask when we face storms or losses in our own lives. Do I trust that this God will bring me through? Do I trust that God sees me, knows me, and will not leave me?
Honestly, some days I do better than others in trusting. I know in my head that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). But when the storms come, sometimes it's hard to get that belief and that trust filtered down into my heart.
I'm guessing there were days when that was hard for Noah, as well. But as days turned into weeks, as the ark continued to float on the water, he had to fall back on the decision he had already made, the decision that was his as soon as he started building the ark. I will trust you, God, with my life and the life of my family. I will trust you with the destiny of the world. I will do what you ask me to, and I will serve you for the rest of my life. In that sort of trust lay Noah's only hope. In that sort of trust lies our only hope as well.
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