And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him…And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood…Then the Lord shut him in…But God remembered Noah…” Genesis 7:5, 7, 16 & 8:1
Several years
ago, my husband was without a job. I needed major surgery. Our three-year-old
daughter needed surgery. It was a time of uncertainty.
We were following
the Lord, serving Him and giving faithfully, but times of trouble still came. I
remember so clearly when my husband walked through the door with a box of his things
at lunchtime and said he was going back to clean out his office. His boss had
told him he was no longer needed. We had two small children and we weren’t
certain what we were going to do.
We were
blessed that my husband had been meticulous about saving, but we didn’t know
how long the money would have to last. Having big medical bills on top of the
usual expenses didn’t help any.
A
favorite Bible study leader of mine calls times like this “Noah’s Ark
experiences.” Yes, Noah and his family were all safe within the ark while “all
the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens
opened…” The waters raged without and rose above the mountain tops and it was
probably not exactly smooth sailing. It must have been downright frightening at
times.
Sometimes
we are allowed to go through rough storms in life and there is nothing to do
but ride it out trusting in the promises of God.
I am
certain a part of the comfort Noah’s family had was remembering God, Himself,
had shut the door. They knew He had put them into the ark and trusted He would
save them. They really didn’t have much choice.
Sometimes
we do have the choice of whether or not to trust God to bring us safely through
our storms. We can get ourselves in real messes when we decide to go it on our
own.
We have
to learn that when God shuts the door, He isn’t shutting us in and Himself out.
He is in there with us. After several months God brought us out of our storm
and provided everything we needed in the midst of it.
What
storm are you facing?
This
world is full of uncertainties, but we can be certain God is with us. He will
remember us. Whatever your situation, choose to believe God is right there with
you and will bring you through safely.
© Copyright, Norma Thurston Holtman August 9, 2011
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Over the past two years my husband has had two strokes, lost his job, had bladder cancer(all gone, praise God) and now faces possible neck surgery. I like to turn to the Book of Job whenever I feel overwhelmed. It always reminds me that things could be worse. Great post. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post and I appreciate the reminder that God will see us through!
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