Its Thursday, and i am running a little late. Not for procrastination, but because i have so much to do and seemingly no time to do it. With preparing for camp, training for the triathalon, running around with Daniel, and somehow trying to keep my sanity, it seems time disappears like ice cream on a hot summer day. But i would have it no other way. This is what makes life interesting and worthwhile, making sure to breathe in every last breath there is...
But i dont want to get on my soapbox about sucking the nectar out of every inch of life. For those that know me well, know this to be my mantra, so there is no need to rehearse it. I only bring it up, because i want to highlight something. In our lives, we have two choices: wait on life to happen, wait on that burning bush moment and then begin living. Or. We can live each day, walking, to the best of our ability, in the presence of God, and let each day unfold as God intended. I dont know if God intends for me to have such a hectic pace, but at times i do feel it brings joy and peace to juggle so many hats.
Which brings me to Noah. Noah wasn't anything exceptional, until that fateful day when God called him to be incredible. Noah hadn't gained the favor of all of his fellow Israelites. Noah was just an ordinary man, whose life was simple. How simple? He walked with God. Each day of Noah's life, each mundane, normal, seemingly uneventful day, Noah walked with God. Dropping off the kids at daycare, Noah did it immersed in God. Plowing the fields for the crops, Noah prayed to God as each seed dropped into the welcoming earth. And spending time with his wife, Noah did it, with God's hand upon his heart. Sleeping, Noah slept in God's arms. Waking up, God was Noah's alarm clock. And any other normal activity, which we often take for granted, Noah did it overwhelmed in God's Spirit. But why?
Did Noah expect some great blessing? Other than his health and family, not that i gather. Did Noah want to appear pious and religiously disciplined. Nothing in the text illustrates that. So why? Why should/would Noah go to the trouble of basking in God's glory in all facets of his life? Because it is what one does when one loves the LORD. In the Jewish understanding of "walking with God," it is an almost intimate, sexual relationship. It is an immersion of openness and vulnerability. It is a marriage of complete trust without boundaries, lies, or deceit. This is what walking with God resembles.
And what was Noah's reward? At the spry age of, (i can only gather 500), God called Noah to build an ark. But what's an ark? Its a ship. Right? But Noah didn't know what it was. There wasnt a need for anything like that; they lived in the desert. And yet, God told him to do so, and this after 500 years of walking with the LORD. I have talked about the absurdity, in another message, about this demand on Noah, and how any normal person would have been rather skeptical, but we get nothing like this from Noah. From the text, the author paints a picture of Noah just doing what God told Noah to do. Build an ark.
Did he know how to build this ark? No. But Noah trusted God to show him. Did Noah know what to expect, flood wise? Probably not. Noah didnt know what rain looked like, but Noah trusted God. No matter how insane the request must have been, Noah responded with faith. It didnt have to make sense, because God had asked, and if God asks, God makes it possible. And all Noah had to do was walk with God.
You see, sisters and brothers, in order for God to trust us with an ark, we have to prove faithful with the daily activities of our lives. Our families. Our jobs. Our relationships. How we respond to anger or violence. How we respond to injustices. How we handle people who wish us ill. How we handle temptation. All of these and more become markers for God to use, to prepare us for a larger calling, a larger purpose. And if we are faithful with the small things, as Jesus says, God will give us larger tasks. Noah was faithful in the small things, and his faithfulness, his walk with God, proved legendary.
What was Noah's reward? An ark. No. More than that, Noah's reward is the legendary status of his life, his faith, and his story. That is ultimately how God rewards the faithful. Their story remains for generations, even after they have long gone home. Their story, their legacy remains as an illustration to us, on how to live. Can you think of someone whose faith guided you? Is there a name that comes to mind of someone, who you tell others about? What about their faith, their life, their story moves you? How can you honor their story with your own life? And most importantly, what hinders you from "walking with God," just as Noah did?
Add your thoughts and names to this blog, so we can have a foundation of those who impacted us. For me it was Jeff Riggenbach, Chris Cheeseman, and Manny Diaz. These stories will remain...God used them, and God, i pray, will use me as well. And God will use you too...Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
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