The Master Architect
“If you want God’s blessing, He must be the architect of the vision.” – Neil T. Anderson
Hello Dear Friend,
My mind wanders, journeying back to the days of Noah when God gave him quite the weather advisory. His warning was followed by very specific instructions on how Noah would proceed in the coming days.
Its early morning as a dove swoops down to perch herself on a tree limb stretched out just above the open window. She sits quietly observing the conversation unfolding between God and man.
“Noah,” God breathed into the favored mans ear. “Noah!”
Noah’s busy hands pause from his current task as he lifts his head up looks around only to see that he’s alone. “I know I just heard my name.” he thinks before burying his head back into his work.
“Noaahhh.” God says again, a little louder this time.
Being a righteous man of God, Noah hears his name being called out again. He’s sure of it this time! He immediately drops what he’s doing. “Yes?” He looks up knowing it’s the Lord calling to him this time.
“Noah, I need you to build an ark. I’m going to flood the earth.” God states, point blank.
“Okay.” Noah answers.
Then God repeats, “Noah! I’m wiping out the entire earth with a flood – I need you to build me an ark! You’re going to make it out of this specific material,” God continues to rattle off some numbers, “You’re going to make it this tall, this wide and this long.”
Noah grabs a pencil and starts writing down the materials and the specified measurements as well as the tool’s he will need and all of the rest of God’s instructions. “Okay, I got it.” He responds, while wondering: What does He mean when He says, “me and my family are going to live in this ark for a while along with every creature on earth?”
“Noah,” God starts again, knowing that Noah hasn’t fully grasped what’s going on yet. “Noah, I want you to build me a boat! It needs to be exactly as I’ve instructed because I’m sending rain.”
“Yeah, okay. I got it!” Noah replies as he looks over his list once more to be sure. “I just have one question.”
“Yes, go ahead.” God encourages Noah to speak.
“Wha..um.” Noah begins in hesitation before asking the one question that’s been on his mind for the entire conversation, “What’s a boat?”
It is a legitimate and reasonable question for Noah to ask since this is the first time on record that a boat has ever been introduced in creation. Noah has never seen a boat, he’s never even heard of a boat and here’s God asking him to build one.
Noah has so many questions and too much has been left unsaid as the conversation concludes. But the most important part of the conversation came across crystal clear. The point’s been made and as Noah glances out the window just in time to see the dove take off towards her next adventure he has chosen his next action will be obedience. His one simple action to follow what God instructed proves that he trusts in what he can’t see.
Noah’s Obedience Stands The Test Of Time
For years and years and years, a lifetime of years in fact, Noah spent day in and day out obeying God by building this boat. Can you imagine? Every day Noah gets up, he washes his face, eats his breakfast, grabs his lunch pail and he plants a big wet kiss on his wife’s rosy cheek as he heads out the door to go work on this boat. Every day – that is his day. He’s lost track of the years it’s been so long. His best guess is that it’s been around a hundred give or take a year or five.
Now picture his neighbors – They get up, eat their breakfast grab some lunch and their lawn chairs and wave good-bye to their wives and children as they head out the door. They walk until they reach the clearing where Noah is busy working away building something that they can’t quite make out yet so they set up their lawn chairs in a row on the edge of the property line. Day in and day out they taunt Noah relentlessly.
They yell, “Hey, Noah…”
Not once does Noah look up from what he’s doing, “Yeah?”
“What-cha doin’?” One neighbor hollers.
“I’m building a boat.” Noah yells back, still not looking up from his work.
“Oh! He’s building a boat.” They all whoop and holler as they share sideways glances and laughter. “Of course he is!” They chatter amongst themselves, “Didn’t you know that?”
Noah keeps his head down and lets his frustrations out with each pound of his hammer. “That dude is crazy.” He hears one say and he can even picture each of the guys rotating their index finger around their ear as they all chant “crazy” and “loony.” He’s grateful for the sound of the hammer which seems to be helping drown out the laughter at least.
“Noah,” another one yells.
“What?” The word comes out showing slight irritation.
“What’s a boat?” the neighbor asks, taking a big bite of his sandwich.
“I don’t know. God just told me to build a boat.” Noah says.
“Oh, God told him too.” They’re all rolling in laughter now.
Another neighbor stuffs the rest of his sandwich into his mouth and muffles, “Noah?”
“Uh-huh.” Noah answers again.
“Why did God tell you to build a boat?” Again the question is surrounded with the mocking laughter and whispers coming from the row of neighbors.
“Because, He’s sending rain.” Noah responds nonchalant.
“Hey, Noah…” another neighbor’s voice is carried over by the slight breeze.
“Yep?” he responds.
“What’s rain?”
Noah stops working to take a few sips of water, letting the breeze cool him for a minute as he wipes his sweaty brow. He picks his hammer back up and starts working again before answering, “I don’t know. But it’s coming from God so it must be good.”
A Disguised Blessing
Did you catch it? The flood is the first time on record that rain was introduced in creation.
Rain, can you believe it. Sounds so simple that it’s unfathomable to believe that until the flood, rain had never touched the earth. Rain is essential in the world we live in. We need it for survival in today’s world. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe God has a gift that He’s just itching to give you? Have you ever wondered that maybe God is holding onto this awesome gift for you that is just as big and just as important as rain was to Noah?
“God is in the details.” – Ludwin Mies Van Der Rohe
“Noah, build Me a boat and I’ll give you rain.” God said. “Noah, give Me something that you’ve never given to Me before. Trust Me with it. In return I will give you something that you’ve never had.”
God is asking you for something you’ve never given to Him:
“Give Me your talent – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your gift – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your fears – watch what I’ll do with them. Give Me your addiction – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your trust – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your obedience – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your sacrifice – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your failures – watch what I’ll do with them. Give Me that temptation – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your disease – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your passion – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your energy – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your relationship – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your finances – watch what I’ll do with them. Give Me your job – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your time – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me your kid(s) – watch what I’ll do with them. Give Me your life – watch what I’ll do with it. Give Me the desires of your heart – watch what I’ll do with them.”
Imagine God speaking to you right now. Challenging and urging you right now. Maybe you need to do some soul searching because you’re unsure of what it is exactly that He’s asking of you. Or maybe you’ve know for a while now and you’ve been ignoring His voice. Yet you keep feeling Him nudging you towards something.
You keep hearing Him call you. God’s calling out your name just like He called Noah out by name. God asked Noah to give his time and his labor and to trust and obey Him. How many times has God called you by name asking you to give something of yourself? How many times have you responded in obedience? How many times have you ignored the call and taken a detour from your blessing or passed it up completely because it required you to sacrifice something of yourself first that you either refused to give or maybe you were just too afraid?
The next time God asks you how will you respond?…“Will you give Me that thing that you’ve never given Me? Give Me what you’ve been too afraid to hand over in the past. Give it to Me now, completely, and watch what I do with it. Give Me what you’ve never given Me before and in return I’ll give you something you’ve never know.”
With love,
Comentários