One size doesn't necessary mean it still fits... Noah certainly had a big task; he had to gather two of each kind and get them into a boat.
I am reminded of what Bill Cosby suggested in his reflection about Noah -- Who is this really?...Am I on Candid Camera? Little did Noah realize that the task was a little larger then he expected, well over budget, and someone should have though this through before placing all different animals together in a confine space. Did you ever feel that God doesn't do things on a small scale, and when He talks, everyone listens.
Certainly God asks many of us to do some strange things, whether it be for just a season or a life time. Little did I know that at 50-years of age I would be asked to give up my career, go back to college (which turned out to be seminary), and move East Texas to serve in full time missions.
Being an engineer I typically can't just take things on face value; I need to measure all available options that will produce the best outcome. Engineer's are like that; weight the costs before spending the money. If I was asked to build Noah's boat and gather in some animals, I would want to know the final outcome, the purpose of the task, develop a cost analysis for the project, and determine the correct manpower allocations for the project before moving forward. To stop everything and just pick up a hammer...start banging on some wood without any formal blueprints (other than verbal direction) would not be logical. Talk about a "walk in faith"...and that is what we had to do!
I have been asked several times..."are you retired"...on the surface it may seem that way, not having any corporate income, no 401k plans, not even a long term goal written down in a day-timer. God simply wants us to walk in faith and allow Him to plan the future. Whether that was going through Noah's mind when he accept the position, only God knows, but it would certainly be an issue if I had to build a boat to transport these animals. All of us need long term planning, but when you deal with God...it is His plans...not ours - that we should follow.
Now, getting back to Noah...certainly the boat took more then a few years to build. If Noah is anything like me, there would be lots of time to think about the task and/or question the outcome. Being over budget, consuming all his spare time and efforts, being questioned from every Tom/Dick and Harry...what do you thing you are doing...building a boat that is too far away to launch, etc., certainly would raise some doubts. Whenever God wants something done in our lives, it may not be logical to the world, but most certainly have a purpose, even if we can't see it...He can. It shouldn't stop the forward progress of the task, but certainly it should make you question the mythology. Such was the case within Cosby presentation that is so real -- "no wait a minute, there got to be a better way." God always weighs the cost, knows the outcome, and looks at the big picture, even when we can't.
Now the question at hand...how would you handle such an assignment? Question it and analyze the outcome before moving forward or just walk through it in faith. I believe it is the walk that will get you there and not the analysis. Try it for a while and let God run the show. You won't be disappointed...trust me and certainly trust God. You will not go wrong...He will not let you.
I am reminded of what Bill Cosby suggested in his reflection about Noah -- Who is this really?...Am I on Candid Camera? Little did Noah realize that the task was a little larger then he expected, well over budget, and someone should have though this through before placing all different animals together in a confine space. Did you ever feel that God doesn't do things on a small scale, and when He talks, everyone listens.
Certainly God asks many of us to do some strange things, whether it be for just a season or a life time. Little did I know that at 50-years of age I would be asked to give up my career, go back to college (which turned out to be seminary), and move East Texas to serve in full time missions.
Being an engineer I typically can't just take things on face value; I need to measure all available options that will produce the best outcome. Engineer's are like that; weight the costs before spending the money. If I was asked to build Noah's boat and gather in some animals, I would want to know the final outcome, the purpose of the task, develop a cost analysis for the project, and determine the correct manpower allocations for the project before moving forward. To stop everything and just pick up a hammer...start banging on some wood without any formal blueprints (other than verbal direction) would not be logical. Talk about a "walk in faith"...and that is what we had to do!
I have been asked several times..."are you retired"...on the surface it may seem that way, not having any corporate income, no 401k plans, not even a long term goal written down in a day-timer. God simply wants us to walk in faith and allow Him to plan the future. Whether that was going through Noah's mind when he accept the position, only God knows, but it would certainly be an issue if I had to build a boat to transport these animals. All of us need long term planning, but when you deal with God...it is His plans...not ours - that we should follow.
Now, getting back to Noah...certainly the boat took more then a few years to build. If Noah is anything like me, there would be lots of time to think about the task and/or question the outcome. Being over budget, consuming all his spare time and efforts, being questioned from every Tom/Dick and Harry...what do you thing you are doing...building a boat that is too far away to launch, etc., certainly would raise some doubts. Whenever God wants something done in our lives, it may not be logical to the world, but most certainly have a purpose, even if we can't see it...He can. It shouldn't stop the forward progress of the task, but certainly it should make you question the mythology. Such was the case within Cosby presentation that is so real -- "no wait a minute, there got to be a better way." God always weighs the cost, knows the outcome, and looks at the big picture, even when we can't.
Now the question at hand...how would you handle such an assignment? Question it and analyze the outcome before moving forward or just walk through it in faith. I believe it is the walk that will get you there and not the analysis. Try it for a while and let God run the show. You won't be disappointed...trust me and certainly trust God. You will not go wrong...He will not let you.
