Not Your Dad’s Boat

Not Your Dad’s Boat
This week our youth group will make the long trek to Williamstown, Kentucky to see the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. There will be lots of driving, laughing, talking, and more. Please pray for our group as we make this trip. 

Consider the Ark with me for just a moment. The story of Noah’s Ark is one that many are familiar with. Even so, it is still rich with meaning and purpose for us today. First, we have the mercy and wrath of God. Genesis 6 begins by explaining that the hearts of man are wicked and that man’s evil was great on the earth. So, God determines to bring just judgment upon the wickedness of mankind. Yet, God is gracious and merciful to Noah and his family. God calls Noah to build an ark into which He will preserve Noah, his family, and two of each animal.

Secondly, we see God’s faithfulness in how He preserves Noah, his family, and the animals. God told Noah that He would preserve them, and He does. Noah trusts God and builds the Ark as commanded. The animals come and board the ark. The waters rise, bursting forth from the deep and falling from the sky. The Ark is afloat for quite some time, and we do not get all the details we might want. We might ask questions like, how did they feed and water all the animals? Where did all the waste go? Were baby animals born on the Ark? On some of this, we can guess, but in the end, we trust the faithfulness of God which preserved life in the Ark.

Lastly, God places His bow in the clouds (Genesis 9) as a sign of His covenant to never again destroy the world with water. Each time the rain falls and we catch a glimpse of a rainbow, we are reminded of God’s covenant with all the earth. He will not bring destructive judgment to the world with water. The rain comes now to water the vegetation and give life to His creatures. So look for God’s bow set in the clouds and remember His faithfulness, goodness, and mercy.