I recently attended the She Speaks Conference from Proverbs 31 Ministries in North Carolina. I was so stoked about the weekend and excited for what I would learn. I remember lying in bed and thinking about the possible outcome of sharing my book ideas and future dreams. I was excited to invest this much time (and money) in my dream.
I sat in a room full of women who were just like me— thinkers who were making doing a reality. I was high on the energy of being surrounded by Godly women who were on a mission to make a new lifestyle out of their God-given craft. While on a different path, we all had a similar calling: to spread the love of Jesus through written and spoken word. It was an amazing experience that truly inspired and reminded me that I am on the right path.
However, it was also a bit overwhelming.
On the last night of the conference, I felt my high coming down. We attended session after session that discussed what you need to do as a new writer, what you should expect, how you can do it, what will be expected of you and why. My mind was swimming and I didn’t really know how to process everything. I felt the urge to cry and smile all at the same time.
Prior to leaving for the conference, I read Genesis chapters 6-8 about Noah and his journey with the ark. This was always a story that I remembered growing up in children’s church and I almost laughed that this was what I was reading. I already knew what happened and felt like I should have been reading something a bit deeper, especially since I was heading out to a new venture. Maybe something by Paul or about the story of Jesus’ time on earth. I wanted God to give me a revelation and didn’t see that happening in the story of Noah.
Little did I know, God was arming me with what I needed after the conference.
As I walked back to my hotel room that night, I immediately went into “figure it out” mode. I started creating lists in my head and strategizing with how I was going to get things done and tackle what seemed like a mountain of a job. I felt my spirit sinking as the list grew longer and the realization of what was required began to sink in. I was starting to question if my writing was really meant to be something for others to read. Was writing a book really for me? How was I supposed to do this, work full time, stay active in my church and have a social life? It all seemed impossible and I wanted to give up before I even truly started.
That’s when God brought Noah back to my mind.
God gave Noah specific instructions on how to build the ark and what it was for. He went over the measurements, materials needed and instructions on how to build it. He also described where the door would have to be, the position of the window as well as how many decks were needed. He included clear instruction on who would enter with Noah and how many of each animal or species Noah had to bring. God even told him about how he would have to gather and store enough food for his family and the animals.
The Bible doesn’t say that Noah was a skilled craftsman or that he built arks for a living. It doesn’t even say that rain had come on the earth before and that Noah knew what that experience would be. It just says, “Noah did everything as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6: 22).
Noah’s obedience moved me. I find it fascinating because my operational, type-A-tendency mind would have went straight into question mode:
How will I know what to do?
Am I qualified to complete the task?
How long will it take?
Are you going to send me help?
Why me?
I wonder if any of these questions went through Noah’s mind because God was asking him to do something unheard of and it was no easy task. I’m sure people probably thought Noah was out of his mind building this humongous ark, then gathering animals in pairs of two. If Noah had lived in the age of social-media, I’m sure he would have been bombarded with opinionated non-believers who took their own pictures and added smart sayings or phrases to make memes and ridicule his work. I’m sure people made an effort to go by his house or the area where he worked just to see what “crazy Noah” was up to. They probably mocked, ridiculed and planted seeds of doubt with their words and criticisms.
Yet Noah kept building the ark.
I sometimes wonder if some of the naysayers were part of Noah’s own family or friend circle. Did they see the vision that God had given him or were they too busy whispering how unrealistic it was? Did they support his efforts and bring him lunch when he worked around the clock? Did they help him gather materials or make sure that he was able to get a good night’s rest because he had to get to work early before the heat of the day became too strong? Were they tempted to jump on the ark-building bandwagon and show support for someone who was doing something new and different? Did they wonder what the ark was for and what he was going to do with it?
Noah’s ark was a God-ordained instrument that had to be created and used to fulfill God’s purpose. It may have come out of what was presumably seen as no where but ultimately served an important purpose.
You have an ark inside of you. It’s big, grand, new and explicitly for you. Perhaps God has planted a dream, business, book or project inside of you and just needs you to put forth the effort. He may even be waiting on you to humble yourself or submit to His will so he can fulfill His purpose for your life. You’ve let your fear of the process or insecurities stop you from pursuing your purpose. Or, you realize that pursuing this dream means that you will lose the control you think you have over your life. Maybe you’ve even had people closest to you doubt your process because it doesn’t look the way they think it should.
At times like this, recall how God blessed Noah. He gave the animals obedience, made the materials available and gave Noah the physical and mental ability to complete the task. Noah was 600 years old when he entered the ark. Your age, background and situation do not matter to God. Ignore the naysayers and don’t let seeds of doubt take root in your heart. Instead, rely on God and trust His promises for your life. He has plans for you that will not harm you but will instead prosper you and give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
Noah and the ark is no longer a children’s tale. It is a reminder that God is sovereign and able to do above and beyond you could ever think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Walk in that power and know that you were created to do great things of which could encourage people thousands of years from now. Someone is waiting on your ark to be built.
