The Promises of God

I have been thinking about Noah’s Ark this week. When you hear the words Noah’s Ark, what do you think of? I usually thought of this beautiful rainbow in the sky representing God’s promises to Noah and to us. But this week I felt the Lord challenging me to look deeper at the backstory of Noah’s life.

The Bible says, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” A guy like Noah seems like he would have a pretty awesome life, don’t you think? I think God would be sure to bless a man like Noah with a life of ease and prosperity. However, have you ever considered what the actual experience was like when he and his family were building the ark? The land was dry and no flood was in sight. Did their faith get tested? What kind of ridicule and scorn must they have endured from their neighbors? It’s not like the ark was this tiny paddle boat sitting in their back yard, easily hidden out of sight. If people mocked them, did they ever doubt that God had actually spoken?

Then I began thinking about what living on that ark was actually like. When death covered the earth except on their ark, were they scared? Did they struggle with depression? Did they miss their old lives? When they looked out of the windows each day, did they despair? Did they ever wonder if the rain would ever stop and they would never be able to begin a new life again? I feel like the Lord has been giving me a new perspective about His promises.

His promises are true, they are real, but there is also a process that He takes us through to fulfill them. I always want to believe that my journey will take me on this easy and blessed road and then I will arrive at the promise...Hallelujah! However, is this mindset even Biblical? What did Noah and his family have to endure before seeing God’s promises fulfilled in their lives? I am sure their journey was way deeper than the pretty rainbows and smiling animals we see pictured in Children’s Bibles today.

Are you perhaps going through a trial today and wondering what has happened to God’s promises over your life? Do you feel like God has forgotten you? Don't give up! Don't despair! I  encourage you to read through the story of Noah with a new lens and try to imagine his process and apply it to your own journey.