Another Level of Trust

Me: I love the turtles in the background.

Prodigal: They are my friend!

Genesis 6:13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to up an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

You probably have heard the story of Noah and the ark. A room in your house that is a nursery may even have that theme with boats and animals all around. Many people have read the story in Genesis verse by verse. I have read it many times myself. This is the first verse where God gives Noah the plan of the ark. Now as you read the verse something caught my eye. God said to Noah. God told Noah. God was speaking to Noah. God did not give this plan to his spouse.

Christian relationships are different because God is with us in every struggle and joy. God is a guiding force and also at times a mediator between struggles and conflict. In those relationships we mature individually and we also mature on paths together. I think we would like to think that God will talk to us together in a big family meeting. We will get the same message at the same time and both have the same happiness for the message. That doesn’t always happen.

Sometimes God chooses to share most of the details about your future with your spouse. You do not get the details. You may know that their is a future and that it might mean going in a certain direction, but He may only give the details to the other spouse.

Read over this story again and we can look that Noah’s wife’s name is not even mentioned. She is all over the story though. She is there while the ship is being built. She goes on the ark and, she is there when a new covenant is made.

This was about Noah taking a direction this time. Noah’s wife really had to have faith and trust in Him. She had to realize that she needs to support instead of taking control. She had to trust that God would give Noah all the direction and guidance. She had to have more trust that Noah would be obedient in the direction the Lord had set forth.

Some of you probably think that sounds easy. Remember though when God guides us, it brings about challenges. Challenges that are meant to grow us and build that relationship with Christ.

Handing over control of the next steps your life is going to take means that you have to trust that person. You may love people but, their is a different intimacy when you trust them to take those steps. When you cannot control how they take certain steps. The goal isn’t control though. The goal really is about supporting with prayer and faith.

Relationships are loving one another but, also you know your spouse loves God. If they love God and are obedient to God you know you can trust them.

Your spouse may not take the exact steps you would choose. Remember though this is is about you not taking control. Have the faith and trust that the process and the outcome will be good for the both of you and also for glorifying God.

Noah’s wife really didn’t seem to do much and, we can forget that she exists. We need to pay attention to the whole story. Look at how she trusted a man to lead her family by an ark when it had never rained on earth. This woman had figured out how to support her husband. This woman had figured out how to really trust God.

This woman did not have to fear details that she did not know or control. This woman made sure she was not a distraction so that her husband could continue his work. This woman was never criticized in this story. In the story of Job, we see a small conflict. Here in the many years it took to built the ark, we do not see conflict. We also did not see conflict on the boat.

True biblical relationship is a partnership and not a dictatorship. Too often I see a dictatorships in relationships and truly both spouses are disappointed in their roles. A partnership means sometimes that you support and sometimes your not really seen up front. Sometimes the attention should be on your spouse and that is wonderful.

The role set out today is one that means being humble and meek. It means that it is a time for your spouse’s relationship with God to shine. How can you see how that relationship will shine if you take control? So much support is given when we pray alone and praise alone.

Fear can divide us, but instead let love bind us.

Genesis 6:22

Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

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