Have you ever noticed how God has a way of using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things? It is one of the great themes of Bible to study how God can take an average man or woman and place them on the steps of greatness. When they are faithful, they become heroes.
Consider Noah. We first meet this boat builder in Genesis 6:8. After describing the depravity of man the Bible simply says “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” He is next described in three ways. The text says he was a “righteous” man, a “blameless” man and a man who “walked with God.” Only one other man was said to walk with God and that was Enoch who was translated so that he should not see death (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). Beyond these obvious spiritual traits, nothing is said of Noah’s abilities. He was neither king nor prince, neither wise nor educated. He was simply a man who loved the Lord and was obedient to him.
Beginning in Genesis 6:14 God lays out the plan. Build a large boat for yourselves and for the animals. The rains and floods will come and only those inside will be saved.
We know that Noah was obedient to the Lord’s command. But have you ever stopped to think about what was going through Noah’s mind as God gave him the plans for the ark? Certainly he was taken aback by the enormity of the project. The construction would take 100 years, a full century to complete (c.f. Genesis 5:32; 7:6). This was no weekend project. Whatever other work Noah was doing it certainly came to a sudden stop when God called. In spite of the work to be done, Noah did not fade or fail. He engaged his sons in the work and precisely built the ark according to God’s specifications. The result was salvation for himself and his family.
We should remember that although we face what appears to be insurmountable obstacles in our lives, God is there to help us overcome them. There is not one person reading this who will face a century long problem. Our challenges are typically measured in hours and days; sometimes weeks. Some rarely face problems a few years long. But in every case God will sustain us.
Trust in the God of the ark. Trust in the God of Noah and will deliver you too. Is there an ark in your future this week? Whatever you are facing is smaller than our God. Would you stop now and ask for his guidance?
