Understanding our lives
This is a series of articles following the life of Noah building a huge boat, being brought through a massive flood, and finally emerging on to dry land.
We may think that we cannot learn anything from Noah, but I believe his life is full of situations that we can learn from.
Here are the articles to hopefully help us to understand more about our lives:
Can you imagine what the world would be like if there was a fickle God, one who was erratic in his behaviour? What would a relationship be like with Him? Where would you stand with Him? The Bible contains many, many promises, but if God was changeable, these promises would become useless…
Giants and mighty men: As far as political leaders go there isn’t enough room in the world for very many giants and mighty men with their abuse of power, but in our everyday lives we can come across many who have that mindset…
Could Noah build the ark, how long did it take? I think I ought to call this post: ‘Toil and tedium’ because so much of our lives resemble the long, hard haul. From the Bible we can presume that the job of building the Ark took over one hundred years! God could have miraculously have done something for Noah, but He didn’t…
Does our hard work AND God’s miracles go together? Good, honest hard work is part of God’s plan for our lives, and when the Ark had been completed God expected Noah to look after all the animals in his care. But also notice that it is the Lord who will make the animals come to Noah! He didn’t say: “Go out, and catch two of every animal”, because that would have been an impossible task…
The tough situation, that hardship that hits us, is not something which is a waste of time, or something which has no relevance to our spiritual life, it may be the Lord either training us, or disciplining us. It could also be for the proving of our faith…
God has said; ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ but knowing God doesn’t always mean an easy life. If we are not careful, when we hear these sort of verses, we can drift into unreality, a place where there is no pain, no suffering, and no hardships! …
Noah had no sail or rudder, I wonder how he felt – powerless, not in control?
Our lives are sometimes swept along by strong currents and storms and it seems to be totally out of our control!
How strange to build a huge boat, without any form of propulsion, no sails, no oars, no engine, and even more strange, no way of steering it – no rudder!…
What about the smell within the Ark?
What about the noise and the lack of space?
But there are no verses that tell us of Noah reacting badly while he was on the Ark.
I used to share a granny flat, with a chap who worked on a pig farm…
Do you feel that this world isn’t really you?
If this is the case then you may have a lot in common with the dove.
If not – then you may be like the raven!
Let me explain…
Can you imagine being confined to a boat full of noisy, smelly animals for over twelve months, then finally the door is opened, and you look down at the dry ground.
But the Lord says nothing, nothing at all!
Not wait, but nothing!
Noah knows in his heart that it would be wrong to act now.
Perhaps you are in the situation that seems to be saying ‘OK’, but in your heart you’ve got a restraint…
Have you noticed the difference in how God is described before the Flood and then after the Flood?
Before the Flood:
“He was grieved in His heart that He had made man.”
After the Flood:
He smelt the sweet fragrance.” …
Would you believe it – look at this!
“Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of it’s wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.” Genesis 9:21
After such a mighty deliverance, you would have thought it was all plain sailing from now on – excuse the pun! …
