Genesis 7:11 – 24 “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.
Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.”
“On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.” Ever stop to wonder how Noah and his family must have felt as they saw all those animals streaming from every direction to enter the ark? Those animals must have behaved in an abnormally peaceful fashion for Noah and his sons to herd them all into their respective pens. God must have directed the animals so that chaos would not ensue? And have you ever stopped to wonder the feelings of Noah and his family as they heard that huge door swing closed, knowing that it was God who was closing the door and not them?
Noah and his sons have been working on the ark for 100 years, braving the jeers of the neighbors. Their wives have been enduring ridicule as they have fetched water at the local wells and done their marketing. Anywhere Noah’s family members have gone, they have been objects of derision, and meanwhile, they must have been wondering if Noah has really heard from God or not. Talk about honoring your father, even when you suspect he might be crazy! Now as God is closing the door to the ark, Noah’s entire family must be down on their knees worshiping God in fear and trembling.
Next, how must Noah’s family feel when the neighbors who had been mocking them are now pounding on the door, begging to enter? Gone are the ridicule and the vicious insults! As the thunder rolls and the lightning crashes, Noah’s family can hear people screaming for help. “But Noah, we are your neighbors! We’ve lived next door to you all these years! Open this door, Noah!” Noah’s family members look at him in horror as they realize that everyone they know apart from themselves is about to die. All Noah can do is to shrug his shoulders. “I didn’t shut that door; God did. I can’t open it either. Have you seen how those animals and birds all found their correct places by themselves? God has directed them. God is the One who is in charge here, not me.”
And now Noah and his family are safe in the ark; however, they are also trapped with nowhere else to go. Noah has no idea where God will take them; all he knows is that God has kept them safe so far.
There are many times when we find ourselves in a position not unlike that of Noah. Circumstances have overtaken us and all we can do is to keep working and hope we survive. In February 1994 a tribal conflict broke out while we were in Accra for a meeting. After spending nearly two months in Accra, we succeeded in returning to our small village to find that I was now the only doctor for 100,000 people who had nowhere else to go. We had to start an operating theater, a laboratory, and blood transfusions-all without electricity or running water. On countless occasions I looked out the window of the consulting room to watch as women and children streamed toward the River Oti with all their belongings on their heads because yet another rumor was circulating that we were about to be attacked. Our facility was forced to care for refugees and the military for free, and government support evaporated. Those supervising us had no appreciation or understanding for our situation but tried to micro-manage us from the capital city anyway. In the middle of this mess, one supporting church wrote us, grandly announcing that we “no longer fit into their missions program.” (We later learned that church was searching for a mission that would allow them to do missionary tourism, short visits to an attractive mission field. They chose to support someone in Israel instead. Supporting vitally needed health care in a conflict zone didn’t fit their concept of missions.) In many ways, we found ourselves in the same situation as Noah and his family. But we had peace because we knew God had called us to be there during this time.
How can you have peace when you are stuck in a difficult situation with no way out? More than a century ago, many missionaries were slaughtered during the Boxer Rebellion in China. As news of the tragedies multiplied, Hudson Taylor, Founder of the China Inland Mission, was found singing this hymn to himself:
Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting in the Joy of What Thou Art
1
Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For, by Thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole.
Jesus! I am resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.
2
Oh, how great Thy loving kindness, Vaster, broader than the sea:
Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness, Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved, Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise, And have made it mine.
3
Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, Satisfies my heart,
Satisfies its deepest longings, Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings, Thine is love indeed.
4
Ever lift Thy face upon me, As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory, Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting, Fill me with Thy grace.
Today, you might feel you are stuck in a mess with no way out. Ask God to show you if this mess is from Him, for if it is, He can give you peace in the middle of it.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel trapped in bad situations not of our making. Help us to trust You, that either these situations are of You and You will give us peace or that You will deliver us and give us peace. Thank You for being Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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