Daily Devotional

There is so much food for meditation in this event, but I am struck today with one question after reading this: Why did God tell Noah to build the Ark?  God could have built it. After all, He made the stars, moon, the earth, animals, and man.  He certainly could have just winked and the Ark would appear. Why did God want Noah to make it? God wanted Noah to actively pursue obedience to Him. This was a lesson in faithfulness to God in the midst of a world of disobedience and wickedness.

I can only imagine how difficult it was for Noah to build the Ark. It took sweat and determination.  Noah also had specific directions and specifications from God to follow. Building the Ark was messy. Covering the Ark with pitch must not have been easy. Of course, the emotional toll must have been heavy. Noah knew God’s plan but did he fully understand? I think not. What was the future going to be like? Building the Ark was one massive lesson in trusting God.

Have you ever been asked to do something monumental for God? I would venture to say that God gives us all a “Noah’s Ark” to build from time to time.  Let me share with you one of our “Arks”.

My husband, Jim, returned from a three-week mission trip to India. He was heartbroken for all the orphans he saw in his travels. As he shared his heart with me, I was moved to tears. That first night back we purposely had only rice for dinner as we shared with our young children the plight of orphans in India. Jim shared how children were fortunate to even get a bowl of rice because they had no one to take care of them. Our wide-eyed young kids prayed with us for orphans around the world. Over the next few days, Jim and I felt a strong impression from the Lord that we must serve orphans. We could not shake off the burden. We knew we were not called by God to go to India. At this point, it became very clear, that God was asking us to help orphans here in the U.S. by becoming foster parents.  Why not? God had given us tools. We had a good home, friends, and family support. God had already given us His specifications on how children should be treated and raised to love God.

This God-directed decision to become foster parents set the course for our family to minister to orphans. Our children got a real education from the foster kids they shared their rooms with as they listened to them cry. We were not just foster parents…we were a foster family. Our own kids worked with us to minister to our dear, troubled foster kids.

So many children are abused, neglected, and forsaken by parents who have made bad choices in life.  It was not easy. In fact, at times it was really, really hard and messy.  We never knew how long our foster kids would be with us. Their survival behaviors were complex and many times difficult to guide into healthy behaviors.  All we really knew was…God assigned this job to our family. Two of our “foster kids” are a permanent part of our family.  As adults now, their kids are also our grandkids.

It can be scary and challenging to trust God when He gives you an assignment. With God guiding and coaching us we will build the “Ark”.

As we build the Ark we will learn to obey and trust in God. What is your Ark?

PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS AND TEACHERS:

1. Tell the story of Noah’s obedience and trust in God as he built the Ark.
   
   
2. Talk about the fact that sometimes God gives us big jobs to do so we will learn to obey and trust Him.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation