Key Word – Hebrews 11:7 – “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
It is amazing how what you know affects what you do. Also, what you know of people affects what you think about them and how you relate to them. Most of us react to things based on the knowledge we have. I say this to make you understand that what you think of God affects the way you relate to Him. But what you think of Him is influenced by what you know of Him. As I have observed our theology affects our lives in more ways than we realise.
In our scripture today we see that God warned Noah it was going to rain, gave him a blue print to build an ark and he went ahead to build the ark. Simple isn’t it? Well, not so simple. First Noah had to know God and recognise His voice to know that God speaks. Then Noah had to know God is completely trustworthy to believe everything God says. Next Noah had to risk being ridiculed as he built this huge ark in the middle of town, with no apparent reason to do so. By the way Noah took a hundred years to build the ark. WOW! Think about it 100 years of living in a paradox. The only thing he had was the word of God.
But thank God Noah built the ark even though he must have faced ridicule and opposition. He must have faced natural human disappointments. He must have had issues with family members, who though he has a bit crazy. He just kept at the job.
What kept Noah going for 100 years? The bible calls this faith. He had confidence in the invisible God, who spoke to him, that it was going to rain and that the rain would destroy the entire living things on the face of the earth. He had assurance that he needed to do his part and that God will do His part.
And here lies the big matter. Most of us think God will do something’s if we do not do our part. We claim that God is sovereign and can do whatever He wants. And yes, He is sovereign, but He has chosen to work with human beings on the earth. So there is obedience that faith demands. I call this the ‘corresponding actions of faith’. If Abraham never left Ur of the Chaldeans, he would never have seen the promised-land. If Moses did not stretch out his rod over the red sea, the Israelites would not have crossed over on dry ground. God needed Noah to build the ark, then He sent the rain.
The bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
If Noah did not build the ark, would God have sent the rain? Would His plans be delayed? Many times, we are waiting for God to act, when actually God is waiting for you to act. God is waiting for you to take the step of obedience and start that new business. He is waiting for you to go and get that education that will enable Him position you in the place of greatness and destiny. He is waiting for you to go and speak to that neighbour about Christ then He would save them.
He is probably waiting for you to act so He can do His own part. God is faithful and you can count on Him to do His part. Can He count on you?
Noah built the ark and God sent the rain. I am repeating this again, Noah built the ark and God sent the rain. What has God asked you to do? Why are you waiting for Him to come and do it for you? He will not do it for you, but He will certainly help you to do it. But you must accept responsibility to do your part. Great miracles are often the product of perfect cooperation between God and Man.
Stop wasting time claiming you are waiting for God to do what He told you to do. You go ahead and do your part and watch the God who never fails, do His own awesome part.
One last thing, God is patient and He will wait for you, but know that what He has asked you to do is so small compared to what He will do for you in return.
Let us pray: Father God, thank you for deciding to allow me to cooperate with you in creating heaven on earth. I ask you to give me the discernment to know what my part is and what your part is in what you are doing. Grant me the faith like Noah to do what I need to do with excellence and patience. Help me to be obedient. In Jesus mighty name I pray. Amen.