Genesis 6:18-22
We can only imagine how messy and confusing the ark must have been. There were people there—Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives. There were animals there—two of every kind. And there was food there—every kind of food eaten in that day. Imagine how crowded, chaotic, and smelly the ark must have been. This was no riverboat cruise and no place for the timid!
I don’t know about you, but some days I feel like I’m living on that ark. I wake up in the morning engulfed by crowds, confusion, and conflict. And I know they’re not going away any time soon, so I had better learn to cope in this less-than-idyllic situation. Like it or not, I’m stuck on this ark.
I’m reminded of Elisha’s servant boy who woke up one morning and saw that the enemy had, overnight, encircled the village where they were staying. He ran to Elisha, terrified and unsure how they would survive. Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see” (2 Kings 6:17). Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw horses and chariots of fire all around the village.
I’m guessing that there were days on that ark when Noah and his family wondered how they would possibly survive. In the midst of that chaos and confusion they needed what that servant boy got, assurance that God was with them, that they had horses and chariots of fire on their side.
On days when the ark we live on seems especially challenging, that’s exactly what we need, too.
Consider
How’s my ark right now?
Pray
God, give me eyes to see the horses and chariots of fire that assure me you are here. Amen.
This post originally appeared in Volume 28.1 of Reflections.
