Meet my sweet friend Lacey!! She has recently begun blogging about her family's homeschool journey at The Well Traveled Day. This post from her could not have been MORE PERFECT for me to read today!! I hope it blesses you as much as it did me!
The story of this girl, may not be what you think it is. We are talking about Noah’s wife. She doesn’t even have a name in the Bible. I’ve read a few lines on what people “think” her name was, but it’s totally unimportant to the truths we will find out about her when we look closely.
Noah’s wife is mentioned in Genesis on five occasions (Genesis 6:18; 7:7, 13; 8:16, 18). In most instances, she’s being obedient to Noah and to God. Let’s look at the situation. You are living your normal life - tend the donkey, get water from the river, feed the kids. Your husband comes home and tells you he’s building an ark because the whole earth will flood (you don’t even know what that means) and God said so. Two things could have happened. She could have criticized him and told him he was crazy. Or, she could have the absolute bold courage to stand up and be obedient. The second one is exactly what she did.
She rolled up her sleeves, got her head in the game and went to work. You’ve got to wonder though, what kind of thoughts were going through her head? She was probably thinking about how the earth was to be flooded, and it sounded like everything she knew in her life was on the line. Her home, her land, her animals, her garden, gone! But most of all, the whole land was criticizing Noah and his wife about God’s command. People were giving them the feeze-out all over the place.
Here is where the true courage kicks in. In the face of criticism and adversity, you follow what your heart is telling you. You don’t worry about what others are thinking, or the bad advice they are giving you. Listen to what God speaks over Joshua - “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9) If you are seeking God with your ambitions, then have the courage to go for it. No guts, no glory, right?
Noah’s wife wasn’t just being obedient to Noah, but to God as well. She was using up all the courage she had inside her. Someone once wrote, “What was Mrs. Noah? She was the woman most responsible for the human race. She was a woman of courage, determination, a woman of purity, a farmer, a ship builder, a zookeeper, a faithful helper, a woman of God.” She couldn’t have been a ship builder and a zookeeper without some sort of bravery. She didn’t have a book on how to do these things. She paved her own road, raised her own sails, and did her thing.
What I really want you to know is that almost always, obedience to God takes courage. If God has clearly put on your heart a dream and desire for your life, I’m most positive there somewhere in you there is fear. Like so many wise people have said, “God doesn’t call the equipped, he calls the willing.” Are you willing? How willing? Willing enough to give up everything and do all it takes to pursue your desire? Noah’s wife was. God’s plan became Noah’s vision, and that inevitably became Noah’s wife’s vision as well. While she was building that ark - nail after nail; and while she was counting the animals and getting them settled - knee deep in smelly stuff I imagine, she probably couldn’t see the finished product. She didn’t know where she would land. Would she be the other side of the world, or a mile away? She didn’t know what the future would hold. She did know how to be completely obedient and to summon up the courage to do just about anything.
So what do you need to take away from the story of Noah’s wife? Tell God. Just tell him. It doesn’t need to be fancy or formal. Tell Him in your own words that you are willing to go where He leads, and go when He says. He created you, remember? He already wired you for something. It may still be a mystery, or He may have already shown you a little of it. Just tell Him you are willing and have the courage to do something big. He wants to use YOU. Yep, you.
I would love to know how this post impacted you?
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