By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.  Hebrews 11:7

     I’ve been thinking lately about all the things God promises us that don’t come to pass, because we don’t exercise our faith. We say “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Or, “God, I would trust You in the midst of this pain if You would show me why this has happened.”  Faith is exercised when we say, “God, you said this, and I believe it. So whether I feel it or understand it doesn’t matter. I will act as if it is true, because You are trustworthy. I believe You.”

     So that brings me to Noah who had no evidence that there would be a flood (did he even know what a flood was??), but he believed and acted on what God told him to do—for over a hundred years! Noah and his three sons worked day after day (over 36,500 days!) building a structure 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. They were cutting down trees, planing boards, hammering wooden nails, in order to create this enormous structure that seemed to have no value!

     My point? Every day, maybe every hour, Noah was required to reaffirm his faith in God, believing that God would use his labors to accomplish His purpose. So day after day, he continued doing what God told him to do. Eventually he did see what for years he only believed to see.

     This story is a testimony to me. Strengthening my faith muscles may mean that in whatever hard or puzzling situation I find myself, I choose daily, even hourly, to reaffirm my belief that God is good and can be trusted. Every hard road is a God-given opportunity pick up my hammer, and nail in one more board as I obey even when I am yet to see. What would happen in our lives if we would learn to believe God? We can help our faith to grow, and today is the best day we will ever have to begin.

     Let’s believe God is answering our prayers, giving us all the strength and energy we need, meeting all our needs, using us to prepare the way for His plans to be accomplished. As Jesus told Mary and Martha, “If you will believe, you will see the glory of the Lord!”

*What is the “ark” in your life that God wants you believe for and to build?

 God, I believe You. Forgive me for not acting on the things You have impressed upon my heart…The things that I have not obeyed, because they don’t make sense to me or I’m not sure what the purpose is. That is not faith; it is fear. I choose now to pick up my hammer and begin to obey, daily, hourly, until my faith becomes sight. I do this by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me!


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