Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. Genesis 8: 1, NKJV.
Heavenly Parent, we give You thanks for remembering the creatures of your hands. May we take hope as we realize that You will never forget us. In the blessed name of Jesus the Christ we humbly pray. Amen.
Have there been moments in your life when you thought that God had forgotten you? Well you are not alone. I am sure that the thought has passed through the mind of almost every human being. There are certain situations that invite such thoughts. Living in an ark with all kinds of animals for what must have seemed like an eternity, could have triggered this thought in Noah’s mind.
Have you ever stopped to think how much time he and his family were in the ark? I did not – until today. As I was reading chapters seven through nine, of Genesis, I decided to look at the footnotes in my Bible (the Andrews Study Bible – an excellent resource!), and realized that it was approximately three hundred and ninety eight days! More than a year (Genesis 7: 11; 8: 13-19)! But God had not forgotten them.
It would be interesting to know what the living conditions were like in the ark. I have heard some rather descriptive imaginary accounts of what Noah and his family experienced during their stay in the ark. But the truth be told, I believe that this is one of those times when you actually had to feel it to know it. Since none of us were there, the most we can do is compare some of our life experiences to life in the ark.
One of the outstanding features of living in the ark was the limited mobility – No one could leave the ark (7: 16) -God had shut the ark, and Noah could only open it when God allowed it (8: 6). There are situations in life when you feel that you are at a stand still. The waters of discouragement, unemployment, illness, seem to keep you from going anywhere. At these times, let us remember that it is God who has the key (Revelation 3: 7), and it is He who closes doors that no one can open, and in His time – at the perfect time – will open the door for us. Do not forget that God remembers!
Noah did not choose what to take into the ark. God had directed the loading of the ark. Sometimes those who God chooses to accompany us on the journey of life are not who we would consider our first choice. Nevertheless, as we continue on our journey we begin to see that they all have a part to play in our reaching maturity, especially the ones whom we consider less likely to be a blessing. The unclean animals that Noah took into the ark did a great job of cleaning up his surroundings when he and his family came out of the ark. Had it not been for them just imagine what life would have been like after the flood!
Finally, as uncomfortable as it may have been – the ark represented safety (Genesis 7: 20-23). There are times when we have to live in what we consider less than ideal conditions, for a time. But it is only – until the storms of life are pass. At the beginning, and sometimes, during, our journey we may observe others who are going where they want to go – when they want to. There are those who are making choices based on what feels good, and here you are, closed in by standards of excellence and codes of conduct. They seem to be doing just as good as you are, and in some cases, better. Look at it this way: Even if there is no flood in your future, you would have lost nothing, by remaining within the ark of safety. And if there is a flood, you will be saved by remaining in the ark of safety.
You will not have to remain in the ark a day longer than what is necessary – because God remembers.