My study of Noah and the ark gave me many things to ponder and to reflect on. Although this is a story I have heard and studied most of my life, I was impressed with a new and greater understanding of why this story needed to be preserved for people in my day and age to learn from.
First, I was impressed with how patient and merciful God is towards the people of the earth. He gives lots of chances to turn things around. He sends lots of prophets to help teach people what they need to repent of and how to make a course correction. In the case of the time before the flood, God sent Noah’s great grandfather Enoch to cry repentance. He was rejected, save a few souls who followed the prophet. As a result, Enoch and his people were lifted from the Earth as the destructive behavior increased.
God promised Enoch that He would continue to try to save mankind. He promised to send Noah, a righteous grandson, to cry repentance and that God would preserve Noah’s family from the impending doom.
For 120 years Noah preached repentance and the gospel of Jesus Christ. His message was rejected.
God saw that Noah was righteous. He did his best to practice what he preached. He may not have been a perfect person. But he was perfect through Christ. He was just. He was obedient. He was repentant. In contract, the people around him were corrupt and the earth was filled with violence (sounding more familiar). The people Noah served corrupted the ways of the Lord.
Something had to be done to save mankind. God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, warned Noah of the impending destruction and commanded Noah to make an ark. He gave Noah detailed instructions as to how to build the ark, including how to seal it “tight like unto a dish.”
Noah was obedient. He built his ark and invited his family to join him.
The flood waters came.
I’ve been thinking about this metaphor. I am familiar with rising flood waters. My house is the lowest point in my neighborhood. When it rains hard where I live in western Oregon, my house floods. This has been a recurring event multiple times per year (although, it has slowed down in recent years due to weather patterns bringing less rain to our region). When it floods, water runs off the hill to our south west and fills the cultisack behind our house. Once it fills, a stream runs between the house and fills the backyard. From there, the water runs beneath the house and out through the garage, destroying everything in its path. We have a whole different understanding of “a river runs through it.” We learned, though experience, that we need to do several things to keep our home safe.
Our family comes together and patrols the street and drains around us to remove debris and things blocking drains. Sometimes we dig extra trenches around our house to move the water away from the foundation. We installed a sump pump and we diligently keep it in working order. Day and night we work to keep our house a safe, warm, DRY place for our family to gather.
Floods are a great metaphor for feeling overwhelmed. Trust me. As a parent of five kids I often felt, “I’m in over my head. I am inundated with troubles, chores, and responsibilities. I am drowning in laundry and dishes.The news from the world is weighing me down and I am sinking. I’m all alone, adrift on a flimsy raft in a storm.” And in a quiet time, “I have a moment to come up for air. This isn’t working.”
There are days when I feel like King David “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul” (Psalms 69:1-2).
So I’m not alone. I have found many examples of God leading His people through deep waters.
- Noah and his family – God teaches him to build a boat to bring his family to safety.
- Moses – God instructed his mother to place him a mini boat, a basket, that took him to safety.
- Nephi and his family – God taught him to build a boat that took his family to safety.
- The brother Jared and his family – God taught him to build a boat that would take his family to safety.
I see a pattern here.
God taught all of these families to build a vessel that would stay afloat, even when they were surrounded by water and storms. Sometimes, God gave the measurements and the material lists. Sometimes God told them to start and trust that He would give instructions as they proceeded to build the boat. Sometimes the family already had practice building boats and the Lord instructed them to build on his prior knowledge of barge-making and experience with a few extra hints of added protection on the craft.
These ships were not always on top of the water. In the case of the family Jared, their barges kept them safe, even under the deep. No water could hurt them because their vessel was “tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters” (Ether 6:7).
God can help us build structures in our lives that can keep us afloat in the rising flood waters. Last week, President Dallin H. Oaks highlighted the difficulties which face all those who are striving to follow Jesus Christ. He provided a framework for overcoming difficulties we face. “Many obstacles lie ahead,” he warned. “The distractions will be many.” He specifically highlighted “an abundance of speculation and false information in podcasts and on social media.” In response to this onslaught of confusing and distracting information, President Oaks recommended that we focus on four things:
- Strengthening faith in Jesus Christ
- Increasing humility
- Seeking support from fellow believers
- Having patience
Clearly, each of us may have other components to add to this list due to various unique circumstances. However, I do believe that these four principles are the foundation of building vessels of safety that will keep us afloat. Our homes, our families can become our personal arks on earth – keep us and those we love safe in an ever increasing wicked world. The structures we build to avoid drowning in a sea of confusion and discouragement can provide shelter and stability for us and those we love.
Through my study of Noah and his obedience in building an ark for his family I have been strengthened in my desire to build a place of safety for myself and my family (although my kids are all adults now and working on their own places of safety). I am encouraged that God will help me and instruct my husband and I, helping us to work together to build and maintain a structure sealed with covenants (like the pitch that sealed Noah’s boat). I am grateful God still sends prophets to warn and to instruct. I am grateful for the practices we can follow that will help us avoid being overwhelmed as the waters rise. I am determined to focus on President Oak’s four invitations, working to strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ through study, prayer and covenant keeping, increasing my humility through daily repentance and putting down and letting go of my pride, seeking help from others by joining with fellow saints, reading from prophets and leaders and serving others, and to work on my patience – giving grace to myself and others.
Right now, it’s time to put on my hipwaders, muck out the drains, ditches and seal up my foundation for the water is rising.
Resigning as the General Manager of the Universe 