“17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper…. 20 rising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks. 21 All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. 22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. 23 God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. 24 And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.”
Genesis 8
“After 150 days, 4
exactly five months from the
time the flood began,[a] the boat came to rest on the mountains of
Ararat. 5 Two and a half months later,[b] as the waters continued to go down, other
mountain peaks became visible. 6 After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the
boat 7 and
released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the
earth had dried up. 10 After waiting another seven days, Noah
released the dove again. 11 This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a
fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost
gone. 12 He waited another seven days and then
released the dove again. This time it did not come back. 13 Noah
was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began,[c] the floodwaters
had almost dried up from the earth. Noah
lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was
drying. 14 Two more months went by,[d] and at
last the earth was dry! 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Leave the boat,
all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. 17 Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals
that scurry along the ground—so they can
be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.” 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the
animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.[e] 21 And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice…”
After reading this account, the only thought that
comes to mind, “…and we still dare to complain about things in life!” Come on,
folks!!!
Most of the
times we happen to have an ordeal here today, another one tomorrow or a few
days later, and but yes, there are cases that on a daily basis things get tough,
sometimes really tough. A rainy day
after another rainy day and continuous rain for over a month is what this
brother was going thru. Have you thought if that would happen today, where
would you be? This account goes that the
rain went to a depth up more than twenty-two feet above the highest peak, can
you imagine??? It’s almost impossible to
picture that it could happen to us with the technological advances that we have
today. But I’m almost sure that because of the lack of those same technological
advances, is that Noah successfully overcame that trial. Today we fit our agendas with meetings at work, with the kid’s teachers, appointments here and there; we “need to know” the exact days of school breaks to be able to coordinate for our vacations; we try coordinate schedules of the wife with the husband and the kids with the church’s and sport’s activities, and if a winter weather advisory comes and changes the whole story, sometimes we think is the end of the world! But check this “guy”!
This “guy”, our dear brother Noah, at the “minimal”
age of 600 years old had to deal with unsaved loved ones who didn’t care to
follow his faith walk, probably mocked him. Rejection by your own loved ones is
hard! Especially when is because you’re trying to help them, and save their
lives but they do not understand therefore do not believe you…. sad! They probably
were even ashamed of him for “believing” that “God” had spoken to him. Because
Noah knew what was about to come, it must been hard to see when the rain started. To think that he had tried to tell them with
no success, and thereafter when the ark doors
got closed, he had to “see” them perish. That’s NOT easy! Noah knew, they were “lost”, he suffered their
rejection, but come on, I’m sure he wasn’t going to be “happy” and jolly to see
them get this kind of punishment on their lives.
Once inside, oh well, with all the noises all
around, he might not had too much of a chance to hear the people bang on the
walls of the ark, or them calling for help, however, if he would be like a lot
of us, he might have kept himself busy so he wouldn’t think too much about the
life outside the ark. But the truth of the matter is that at some point, I’m
sure he did; and I’m thinking he must been singing to the Lord, because otherwise,
I do not think it would have been possible to make it!
Praise the Lord, that send his kids with him to help
him with the animal feedings, because the amount of animals was not small. And not going to try to think too much about
his wife’s cooking for six adults inside a “boat” in a “kitchen” in the middle
of an “indoor farm”, maybe without even “proper ventilation” forget it, that’s
too much for me, but REALLY???!!! Not
sure her cooking smelled too good, and still Noah, ate it! And can I tell you
it was not for a few days, or even week, in fact not even for a month, it was
for almost thirteen months; more than a year!
Like I used to say when I was little, “Que barbaridad!!! (What an
atrocity!!!)
And that’s not all! Thinking about the bathroom time
for humans and animals, and not only males but females with the usual monthly
times of discomfort… what? Where did all go?! Under the “rug”? Outside the
window? No… no… no… too much!
But going back to Noah, only having a strong and
deep, love and confidence in God was what moved him first to build the ark, and
then once there, I’m sure he HAD TO PRAY to remain strong because guess
what? He did not have a Bible! Moses who got The Commandments hadn’t even been
born yet! So it was one on one!
That’s the key to make it even today, ONE on ONE. When you started dating, that one on one communication
is what developed the assurance that he or she was the one for life. If you haven’t
experienced that just yet, please know you can be convinced by what others might
tell you about that person you liked so much, BUT that would only be an
individual’s perspective which might not be the reality before your eyes,
therefore, ASK THE LORD, and TRUST in HIM, alone. And for the same reason, only
when you experience for yourself you get to know the “real” you in that other
person. This is the dynamic that HAS to
happen for you to get in love with God, like Noah did. You HAVE to spend time
talking to the LORD for your relationship with HIM to grow, HE will give you
the needed confirmations or “proofs” that HE is THE REAL GOD who can do the
imposible’s of life. And unlike Noah, we
HAVE THE BIBLE, which is the written proof of what happened, how it happened,
and even what will be happening if we choose to believe AND if we choose to
disregard His Word and His ways.
It’s amazing the amount of things we can learn from
Noah’s situation. God told him to build the ark, and he did. Have you heard read anywhere that Noah had to
go hunting for the animals to be in the ark? No! GOD moved the animals to come
into the place of the ark, and then gave them the order to get in… my, my!!!
For forty days rained, then stay flooded for 150
days, then the boat stopped, but still flooded probably receding a bit at a
time, but almost three months later still flooded, a few mountains peaks could
be seen but still the ark was parked there, everything flooded.
I’m sure everyone there, was READY to get out but
still had to wait. So I’m thinking Noah might have said something like: “ufff I
have to keep praying… it looks like it’s going to be over soon!... Come on
Noah, just keep praying! Just keep praying!!!” And another thirty days passed.
How did he came with the idea that a raven would
come back if he didn’t have a place to land? I have no clue, most likely, God
gave it to him. This is exactly why is soooooooooo important to talk to The Lord,
for HE will impart wisdom above and beyond comprehension. He waited for a few
days, and just in case the raven was “out of tune” he sent a dove, and this
smart little bird came in with a fresh olive leaf in its beak, how in the
world, this bird knew had to bring Noah a proof? My friend, JUST GOD!!! That gave
Noah the necessary excitement to wait for another few days to resend the dove
again, not the raven, the dove, and the good news came when it didn’t show back
up at his window. I’m sure he was excited, as he saw the surface of the ground
almost dried. He still had to wait a bit more because only when GOD released
him and said “leave the boat” he left, and released the animals which got out
the same way they came in, at God’s command. And
after this ORDEAL, then Noah built an altar and sacrificed a burnt offering,
and because of a grateful heart, THE LORD was pleased!
Today, choose to start a relationship so deep and
strong that can beat even ordeals like Noah’s; I pray we do not have to go such
a trials but if we have to and are prepared in prayer, or “praypared” like we
Christians use to say, we are going to make it! And after every trial is conquered,
remember to OFFER A SACRIFICE OF WORSHIP.
Because you didn’t do it on your own, it was ONLY WITH GOD; the animals came
to the area were the ark was and at God’s command came inside… only with God!!!
What else can I say!!!?
I pray you start walking with the LORD, today! I
believe it, because I’m praying for you in JESUS name, and for HIS glory! AMEN!
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