Building an Ark

This morning in church I had a revelation. My Sunday school class talked about Noah and his perseverance. How, even though every one around him thought he was silly and his actions were not necessary, Noah knew that his work would not be in vain. Noah worked for 100+ years to build his ark, even though it wasn't raining, even though there was no flood yet, even though everyone thought he was crazy. God led Noah to persevere.

I often wonder if Noah occasionally questioned the Lord's will for him. Did Noah ask God why it was taking so long to build the ark? Did Noah find himself tired and weary from his labors, wanting to give up? Did Noah beg the Lord to please finish the ark for him? Noah was a great man, but he was also human, so this leads me to believe that he probably did have a few moments in the flesh where he wondered if he were on the right path and doing the right thing.

I can relate to Noah. I have found myself doing this almost weekly for four years. One week I tell myself I need to sit back and do nothing... just let God take control. The next week, I think I need to be fasting, studying, doing something to assist God in answering my prayers. I teeter on the edge of doing too little and doing too much all the time. Is seeking medical attention doing too much? Shouldn't a miracle such as having a child come a bit more easily and without so much struggle and heartache? Is simply sitting back and praying doing too little? Like Noah, is there a path I need to be following?
I battle with these questions often, but today I felt a bit more clarity than I have in the past.

Today, I realized that when God leads us down a path, it doesn't mean we are not required to put forth some effort. Oftentimes, God is leading us down a path to test us in our obedience, our strength, and our faith. God told Noah to build an ark. God wanted Noah to put forth an effort to show his obedience and faith. It wasn't easy and it wasn't instant, but Noah persevered. God could have told Noah to build the ark, and after a year or so of Noah's obedience, God could have finished the ark for Noah... but he didn't. Noah was required to finish, required to persevere.

Today I feel like Noah. I feel like I have been "building an ark" for the past four years. Each day finding myself with different emotions. One day optimistic and grateful, the next day weary and burdened, yet I have persevered. God has led us down this path for a reason. Each day that we persevere and hold steady to our faith, we grow a bit closer, we learn a bit more about ourselves and our abilities, and we inch closer to the ultimate goal. We keep running the race, we keep building the ark.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Cor. 9:24

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Heb 12:1

But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31