Prepare Your Ark

Have you ever read the story of Noah? I mean actually read it from the Bible? It’s a story that is told over and over in Sunday school and at Wednesday night Bible classes. This story is often told to little kids in a very “fluffy” way. I remember being a little 8-year-old girl in Sunday school and my Sunday school teacher had a felt board (my husband insists they are called flannel graphs) with Noah, his family, the ark, etc. I remember being told that Noah built a huge “boat” and he filled it with two of every animal and it rained for forty days and forty nights. Now this is all somewhat true.

I say “somewhat” because if you actually read the entire story of Noah you learn that Noah’s task was even more enduring than the quick-story version implies. You see, Noah did not just bring two of every animal, he brought seven pairs of every clean animal and one pair of every unclean animal and seven pairs of every bird (Genesis 7:2-3). That is a LOT of animals!

Another detail that wasn’t properly portrayed in Sunday school is how long they were on the ark. I always heard “it rained for forty days and forty nights,” and this is true. However, Noah and his family were on the ark for about a year! Genesis 7:11 tells us that the rain began on the seventeenth day of the second month. Genesis 8:14 tells us that it was the twenty-seventh day of the second month, of the following year when the earth finally dried enough to be habitable again. Can you imagine if God came to you and said “I want you to build a giant boat and fill it with a bunch of animals and your family, and then I am going to wipe out all of creation” Umm yeah, I certainly would be a little hesitant. I mean that’s crazy talk!

God came to Noah and told him of his plan to wipe out the earth (Genesis 6:13). Noah was found righteous in God’s eyes. So God told Noah that he would establish his covenant with him, and that he and his family would get to live through this flood (Genesis 6:18). Noah trusted God and he prepared his ark in the way the Lord had told him. The story of Noah has really resonated with me for the last few weeks. I tend to have trouble trusting God. I’ll be the first to admit it. I like to make my own plans and I like to stick to them. However, sometimes God calls us in a different direction, and that may be uncomfortable, scary or even painful to do. The story of Noah is so beautiful to me because Noah trusted God and he obeyed him and because of that Noah was blessed. How amazing would it be if we let go of our fears and we trusted God’s plan for our life?

Another beautiful part about the story of Noah is the promise that God made to never flood the earth again. God sent a rainbow and he said to Noah: “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” (Genesis 9:17).

I believe that God blesses us and gives us the desires of our hearts, but we should first focus on our part. We are called to honor, trust and obey him. Noah’s obedience is a great example to us of how we are called to live. We need to prepare our ark and obey God. Most importantly, we need to trust in Him. God will bless us in the ways that we don't even know about yet.

I promise that God has plans for you, he will use you in great ways to further his kingdom. Trust his calling.