Noah’s call to build the ark was no small assignment. The ark measured 510 feet long, the same as one and a half football fields. The roof was more than 50 feet from the ground; tall enough to house three inner decks. The storage capacity was the same as 450 standard semi-trailers. In all of history, few wooden ships have ever come close to the size of Noah’s Ark. As a result of this massive construction project, many believe it took Noah about 75 years to complete his work!
The construction of the ark was not a quick job. It was a challenge-filled PROCESS!
Noah didn’t walk away from his prayer time with God, and suddenly the ark appeared. As much as God wanted an ark built, he didn’t give Noah a ready-built boat. God didn’t send angels to build the boat for Noah. Noah had to build it himself. It was seventy-five years of BLOOD, SWEAT, and TEARS.
If you have ever tried to build something -- a successful business, athletic prowess, a long-lasting marriage -- then you know that it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that requires blood, sweat, and tears. The same is true of the call of God. If God is calling you to build something, you have to understand that he’s not going to snap His fingers and make it happen for you. It is going to take BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS.
The process of building the ark did not deter Noah. He heard God’s call and did not deviate from it. But how was Noah able to endure through all of the blood-spilled, sweat-filled, and tearful days?
Check out this message from week 3 of our new series, Noah: Surviving the Storm, as Pastor Eric, in conjunction with his friend Rich Holmes’ study on the subject, reveals five things that we must do to endure like Noah did and see the completion of what God is calling us to build.
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family…” (Hebrews 11:7 NIV)
My friend Rich Holmes wrote a great book on the subject of Noah, and his content inspired several of my thoughts on this subject. Get Rich's book here.
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