"For forty days, the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth." – Genesis 7:17 (NLT)
The patter of rain against the creaking wooden roof, the waves beating against the hull, the cries of many animals in their pins and perhaps the soft sound of some wooden pieces being moved as the family plays a game, distracting themselves from the storm outside. These are the sounds in Noah’s ears for the days, weeks and months in the ark. Noah’s time in quarantine was his time of faith.
Right now, with the spread of the coronavirus, many of us have found ourselves in some form or another of quarantine. This has been a difficult adjustment for many of us. You may be wondering what this means for your faith.
Thankfully, we can look to Noah who lived through his own quarantine. He and his family had to live for a year in a wooden box as there was chaos outside. They wrestled with the struggles we are facing: boredom, loneliness and fear at how long the storm lasted.
From Noah we can see though that living out our faith is still possible in these times. Faith is not always grand. Sometimes living a life of faith means doing the next right thing by taking care of what God has given you. For Noah, this meant his family, himself, the animals and the ark. For you it’s probably going to mean the exact same thing. Live out your faith by taking care of your family (spend time enjoying them), yourself (practice good self-care), your animals (spend some extra time playing with your pets) and your house (if God has blessed you with a place to live, take care of it). We like to do big new things, but we often forget that God desires us to maintain the things he has blessed us with.
In storms, time is often our biggest enemy. I’m sure Noah and his family were sick of the rain after a week. This is where our faith is really tested. But Noah and his family got through by continuing to focus on the work of maintaining what God had given them and through hope that things would improve. Noah made a habit after the rain stopped of sending out a bird to see if the water was subsiding (you can read all about this in Genesis 7 and 8). This shows that he continued to trust in God knowing that God would not allow this to go on forever. As this season stretches on, remember that it will not be forever and continue to hope in God.
Discussion Questions:
- What are some ways you can continue to trust in God during this long season?
- What are some ways you can care for the blessings you have like your family, your animals, your own self, and your home?
