Adrift At Sea

Noah and the ark is one of those stories that most people know, even if they didn't grow up in church. 

God tells Noah to build a big boat because He's sending a big storm that will flood the earth. But He also tells Noah He will save him and his family as partners to help remake the earth. 

The story is usually told that Noah builds the boat. He and his family board the boat, and then it rains for forty days. And often, it's assumed that Noah only stays on the boat for forty days. 

But notice the time markers in the story. 

Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. (Gen. 7:6). 

But even more specifically,

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. (Gen. 7:11)

Did you catch the time marker? The rain started in the second month of Noah's six hundredth year. That becomes significant. 

In chapter 8, we read, 

At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. (8:3-4)

This means that Noah has been on the boat for five months! Then we read, 

The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. (8:10)

That puts us at almost eight months, and Noah still hasn't left the boat. Then we read, 

By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. (8:13)

Remember Noah was 600 years old when he boarded the ark, and now he's 601. And then finally,

By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry. Then God said to Noah, "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives." (8:14-16)

Did you catch the time marker? He's 601 years old, and it's now the second month of his 601st year. This means an entire year has passed!!

Can you imagine? I had a hard time being somewhat stuck at home from March to May of 2020. I say somewhat because I could leave my house to go to the store, ride bikes with my kids, and go on walks through my neighborhood. All Noah could do was walk the boat and clean up after all the animals. 

What would you do if God called you to be in that situation? How would you respond after you were finally let out? Back in 2020, many of us grumbled and complained. Notice what Noah did.

We're told that he built an altar to the Lord and made sacrifices. Essentially, he worshipped God. (8:20)

Worship brings perspective in situations that are less than ideal. It reminds us of God's faithfulness and how He's always been with us in the storms of life. Genesis 8 begins with the phrase, "God remembered Noah," which is one way the Bible speaks to God's active presence in someone's life. 

So, if it feels like life is tossing you around like a boat adrift at sea, or if you’re stuck in a situation that is less than ideal, remember that God hasn't forgotten you. He's with you. He'll see you through. And may that lead you to worship Him.