Every Detail Matters

I find the story of Noah fascinating. Just imagine for a moment. You live your normal life, bringing up your sons and taking care of the family. You try your best to live a righteous life and because of that you find favour with God in the time of a global disaster. Because the earth was so corrupted and filled with violence, the Lord decided to destroy the mankind. But the righteousness of Noah saved him and his whole family.

The Lord spoke to Noah and told him to make an ark which would be a refuge in the time of a flood. He told Noah how to build this ark, telling him which wood to use and not to forget to coat it inside and out with pitch. The coating outside and inside the vessel was necessary. It would prevent water from seeping into the ark through the seams between the wooden planks and stop the wood becoming saturated with water.

For Noah, who had no experience with sea-going vessels, it was essential advice, given to him by God. The Lord instructed him about the dimensions of the ark, its height, width and length. And the Bible says that ‘Noah did this; according to all that God commanded him, that is what he did’ (Genesis 6:22). He did all that was asked of him. He didn’t add to it, nor did he miss out anything.

The rain started and poured down for five months. It took another seven months for everything to dry out again. Noah and his family spent about a year in the ark before they saw land again. The Lord knew what was ahead of Noah. That’s why He gave him direct instructions on building the ark, not leaving out any important details. I find that amazing. Every detail mattered in the time of a flood, the type of wood, the length, the width, the height of the ark and the coating with pitch. Had Noah left anything out or substituted any of the instructions with his own ideas, the end of the story might have been different. The water would have gone through the seams without pitch. It would have rotted the wood during such a long flood.

The Lord knows what is ahead of us, He knows what difficulties we might meet in life, and because of His love and care for His children, He gives us a plan to follow. His instructions might not make any sense beforehand. They might be time-consuming to follow, like ‘coating your ark’, but in the time of the ‘flood’, they will play a significant role in sustaining your life. If there is anything the Lord told you to do today which doesn’t make sense, don’t dismiss it, as it might be a building block of the future to come. And when it comes, you will be forever grateful that you listened and followed the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for Your love and care. Thank You that You are willing to give us direction and guidance in life. Help me to be obedient to Your voice and do what You ask of me, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.