Noah: Wait and Endure

Chapter 1 in Sacred Waiting talks about the story of Noah and what he can teach us about what it really means to wait on God. The Bible doesn't tell us much about Noah's first 500 years of life other than that he was a just man, perfect in his generations and that he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. There's no indication that he did anything great or mighty during those first 5 centuries. All we know is that he must have stayed close to God so that when He spoke, Noah knew Who was talking to him. "In a world filled with pain, heartache, violence, and corruption, many of us want to make a difference, a significant difference. So we agonize over what we should do rather than learning to walk with God" (p.25). This is what I have spent most of my life doing, focusing on the wrong thing. I've been so caught up with what God wants me to do and His plan for my life, instead of just spending time with Him and getting to know Him. Noah shows us that "walking with the Lord and waiting on the Lord are one in the same" (p.25).

The next thing that we can learn from Noah is from what God asked him to do. Remember, he wasn't a spring chicken anymore, and God asked him to build a boat - not just any boat, but one that could house every living creature that needed to be preserved through the flood. This is no small task! "Sacred waiting never questions the timing or the size of the Father's request" (p.28). We are called to walk with God so that when He calls us, no matter how big and difficult the task is, we will be ready to serve Him. "Service always follows presence. First we learn to walk with God; meaningful service springs from that relationship" (p.30).

Who knows what God might ask us to do. It may be large or small. It may be long and drawn out, or short-lived. Either way, "attentiveness to Him, which usually begins on our knees in prayer, followed promptly by our obedience, invariably achieves His purposes" (p.30). Often I jump to the task, and get all caught up in it, that I completely forget to remain attentive to Him. However, "our greatest impact only happens when we seek God, not impact" (p.31). I have a tendency to want to do, do, do, but I need to change my mantra to 'seek God, seek God, seek God'.

I like how Timms ends off the chapter: "Noah's story calls us to reestablish the dimensions of waiting that make endurance truly possible - presence, then service. We walk with God so we can serve Him well. Our walk with the Lord begins and sustains the process... If you're struggling, perhaps it's because the work flows not from your walk but from your will. Realigning ourselves with Him first and then with His commission makes all the difference when results don't come quickly or easily" (p.34).

Wow - these are striking words. I know I need to examine my own walk - often my efforts are focused in the wrong places. I need to learn to be attentive in His presence and the rest will come later.

"God of the ages, vast and past, slow me down to walk with you; not rushing to achieve my own projects this day, but content in yours. Grant me the courage to wait on you when ridicule or confusion comes, and the endurance to persist when the end is not clear. Amen" (p. 22).