Noah's Ark (Pt 2)...

Do you recall our story of Noah from a few weeks ago?  God looked down from heaven and saw what His once beautiful and perfect creation had become.  Having saved his best creation for last, man...He now saw what man had turned into “…every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:6).  It was time to destroy the earth, and start again.  Noah, having been a just, blameless and man who walked with God, found favor in the eyes of his Creator.  The Lord chose to spare him, along with his family. In order to survive the destruction of the world, God made him build the impossible, to survive something the world had never seen before.  Having complete faith and trust in God’s word, Noah spent the next 100 years building the ark.

The day finally came when “...the Lord said to Noah, ‘Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation’” (Gen 7:1).  And so after more then a hundred years, Noah finally saw the answer to God’s word that He had spoken to him.  Indeed it took a long time, a VERY long time in fact...however God, as always, was faithful to His word.

The animals and Noah’s family were all settled safe and sound in their new home, when, “...all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Gen 7:11).  And as Noah gazed out the window, watching the rain began to fall and the waters begin to rise, “...the Lord shut him in” (Gen 7:16).

What would life have been like on the ark.  Besides caring for the animals, sleeping, eating and maybe spending time with family, what else did they do?  How did Noah pass the time during their ark adventure?  Did he pray or meditate or maybe grumble and complain, because he was not hearing from the Lord?  Noah had obeyed every word that God had spoken over the past 100 years, in building and preparing the ark.  But now, probably when he needed it the most, there was nothing but silence...for 377 long days.  There is no record in the bible that the Lord spoke to Noah during his time in the ark.

Finally, we read in Genesis 8 that “...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” (Gen 8:1). And then we read, that after 377 days, Noah was able to  “...remove the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry” (Gen 8:13).  Having stepped onto the ark, leaving a sinful, corrupt and fallen world behind, Noah would now step onto a new earth, with a brand new fresh start.  I love that his first act, in his new place was to WORSHIP the Lord.

Just like Noah, through patiently waiting and ever trusting in God’s word, the Lord too has responded to us.  While Jackie and I were celebrating our 8th anniversary in El Paso last week, I got a call from my cousin Nieves.  The government was there, doing the final installation of power poles and lines to hook up the power to the orphanage.  I could do nothing but say, “thank you Jesus” over and over again.  And then, as if that wasn’t good enough, I got an email from our accountant letting us know that our non-profit paperwork had been approved and finished.  It is ready for us to pick up at anytime.  We will head to Cuahtemoc early next week to pick up our documents and make an appointment with CFE to come out and physically turn the power “on.”  I too have felt like after my long journey in the ark, the Lord is finally removing the covering!

We have been frantically, but peaceably working hard to finish the projects at the orphanage that need to be completed before people can live in it.  Lord willing, we will be able to finish them in 2-3 weeks and then watch what the Lord does next.

One step closer brothers and sisters that we could not have taken without all your prayers, support and commitment to us.  Thank you so much from the bottom or our hearts.  Please know that if you are feeling like your in the ark, and not hearing from the Lord, trust that He is their, ministering to you in a way that you can't see.  Though it may be rocky and you feel like your getting 'seasick', the Lord will bring you through it, a much stronger person!

"This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your Word has given me life" (Ps 119:50).