Ants, too!

The other day, I was at the pool with the boys. It was bright and sunny, so I found a shady spot to sit, read, and…rest my eyes. A towel was lying across my lap with the tip of it touching the concrete sidewalk around the pool. I woke up to ants crawling on me! I jumped up screaming and trying to shake them off. I told the boys we had to go, now! After a shower, I was putting alcohol on my bites, and I thinking to myself. Why did Noah bring ants on the ark? Why didn't he just let the ants, snakes, bed bugs, lice, and mice perish in the flood? I finished dabbing alcohol and sulking, then the answer to my questions came. Noah brought those animals because the Lord told him to. Noah was obedient.

We find the story of Noah in Genesis, chapters 6 through 9. God was very specific in His directions to Noah regarding the ark. He said, to use, “cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out,” (Genesis 6:14). He told him the dimensions of the ark should be “three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high,” (Genesis 6:15). The Lord told him about the roof, the doors, decks, etc. Then the Lord said, in Genesis 6:19-20, “You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.” As we read on, we see that, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)

We are all God’s creations, created for His pleasure. (Revelation 4:11) He has not created us to figure things out on our own. Of course, He gives us great intelligence, and the free-will to do as we please, but God is living and active, (Hebrews 4:12) and desires to be a part of our everyday lives. His Word should be, “a lamp for [our] feet, a light on [our] path.”

It is through the Bible that God speaks to us. His Word, His will is found in His word. Our prayer-life should be a dialog not a monologue. Prayer is not just time for us to tell Him what we want. We should thank Him for all that He has done, and ask Him to reveal His will.

As I read the story of Noah, it becomes obvious why God chose Noah for this particular task. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” (Genesis 6:9) Noah had a history of obedience.

When I read the account of the instructions Noah was given, I am struck by the details. He wasn’t just told to build a large boat, he was told what type of wood to use, how big to make it, the number of floors, doors, and that he should take a male and female of every creature that walks the earth. Noah had the same free-will we all have, but he was obedient and didn’t take liberties in lieu of his instructions. He didn’t go around asking the woodworkers of the time what would be the best type of wood to use for a large boat. He didn’t bring onboard only the animals he thought wouldn’t later be a nuisance. “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)

As I think on the specific instances when I have heard the voice of the Holy Spirit, I don't recall so many details. That makes me wonder: 1)Has God omitted my details because He knows I won’t follow them? OR 2)Has God given me details, but I stopped listening? Those are big questions! Alarming questions. And all because I wondered why Noah brought ants on the ark. The simple answer to that question is – because God told him to. What is He telling me to do? What is He telling you to do?


Thank you for reading!
Have a blessed week!
Kim




Copyright 2018 Kimberly Griffith Anderson