Just Build the Boat
“He (Noah) obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before” (italics added). [Hebrews 11:7]
Do you enjoy DIY projects? Have you ever put something together? Ever built something? A shed? A barn? A house? A building? A boat?
Anyone who knows me well will tell you that a tool in my hand is a very dangerous thing! I know next to nothing about tools, and even less about building things. My dad tried to teach me lots of useful skills about how to use tools, but I was much more interested in throwing or kicking a ball, so his words fell on deaf ears unfortunately.
The author of Hebrews directs our attention way back to early human history. God gave a guy named Noah a special DIY project that made no sense—build a boat. Actually, we know it as an “ark.” Regardless of what you call it, it was designed to hold a few people, lots of animals, and float on water because it was going to rain. Doesn’t sound too irrational, so what’s the big deal? At that time in earth’s history, it had never rained! That’s right! The earth received the necessary moisture from the ground up. So, God commissioned Noah to build a boat!
Imagine Noah going into the local home improvement store (this is my imagination taking over) and purchasing all the nails, cypress wood, and tar that was in stock, and then, asking the store manager to order more! Curious, he asks Noah the question: “What are you building?” Noah replies, “A boat because it’s going to rain.” The store manager shakes his head in disbelief because he has never heard that word before and has no idea what it means. Even as Noah describes it to him, the words don’t make a lot of sense. Sounds crazy, right?
Have you ever been asked to do something that sounds crazy…something for which there’s no rational explanation? Leaving family and friends to pursue a passion for helping others? Giving up a big salary and title to work for a non-profit? Perhaps you believe in Jesus, and maybe you’ve sensed a calling to do something that seemed absolutely crazy like building a boat because it’s going to rain!
God may be inviting you to do something that seems totally outside the box. It may sound like a “bad” idea, but that is precisely the time when God shows up! We do the natural and God does the supernatural. The outcome can be summed up in two simple words: Only God.
What about you…is it time to build your “boat”?
