““Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives.”
Genesis 6:17-18
Ever had a rough day?
The kind that wrings you out and makes you weep? The kind that frustrates you and brings you to the end of your resources?
I’m sure we all have.
It can feel like a flood is washing you out to sea, sweeping seaweed into your nostrils and making you lose your bearings. It’s discombobulating to be swept off your dock, so to speak.
I’m sure Noah felt that way.
He lived in a time which is described as ‘evil’. The people God had created were a far cry from the folks He had in mind when He set up the earth. Imagine. One translation says when God saw what they were like, it broke His heart.
It must have been awful.
Think of it.
Plenty of bad stuff has gone down in the past millennia, but only during Noah’s lifetime was God driven to wipe them all out and start over.
Let that sink in.
The absolute depravity and evil were such that the Creator couldn’t allow it to go on.
Hard times were a-comin’.
A global flood.
But God told Noah to build a boat. And He didn’t stop there. He gave specific instructions for how to build it. And He provided the materials and the time in which to complete the project.
On that boat, the family that would repopulate the earth and all the necessary critters to replenish it with were housed.
Fast forward to your bad day.
It’s hard stuff. It may not be a global flood but it is threatening to suck you under.
What to do?
You build a boat.
If you’re doing some head-scratching right about now, let’s dive right in and see if I can make this clearer.
The thing is, hard times are a-comin’. It’s just a reality. Stuff happens. Accidents. Diseases. Financial burdens. Natural disasters. Death.
It’s tough.
Kinda like that flood.
It here’s the life principal waiting in the middle of this Noah story – God shows up when the bad stuff happens. He provides information and resources. He has a plan.
He helps you build a boat so to speak, help or circumstances to lift you out of the floodwaters and assist you in sailing through.
Why doesn’t He just stop the flood?
I can’t answer that. I’ve wrestled with that question many a time myself. I just don’t know. I do know that God will use those harsh circumstances to grow your faith and work in hearts, and that He always has our best in mind.
Which means if He sends a flood – and He has, and will – He is doing the very best for bringing about the most good for the most people He can, for His glory.
So.
Are you in a tight spot? Feeling those flood waters rising?
Build a boat.
Find a way to swim, raft, float, paddle, cruise through the floodwaters to the other side – with God’s help, of course.
Build a boat with me?
Father, we often seize up and panic when the floodwaters rise. Help us to move forward through the pain, disappointment, failure, and frustration with Your help. Provide the materials, plan, and resources we need to navigate through. Amen.
Growing in Grace 