Today's Devotional

November 19, 2002

Subject:  Lessons From The Ark - Details

Genesis 6:15-17 - "And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of;  The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.  A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt though finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

Genesis 7:2 - "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female:  and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female." 

I recently recounted the story of my youngest brother reading the above passage when we were kids.  Every morning before going to school our mom would have us "come to the table."  At the table you could eat breakfast, which she prepared every morning.  You didn't have to eat, but "the table" represented the spiritual food for the day.  The children, on a rotating basis, would choose a bible passage as the morning devotional for all to hear.  Can you imagine the above passage as a morning devotional as a child.  We laugh about it today because we had no ability to see the message in a simple verse about the dimensions of a "house boat."  Interestingly, more than 20 years later, it begins to make sense.

The message in all of the "petty" details gives me two very important points.  The first one is that through following the details, it strengthens our faith.  It's that experience you have with God where it's so clear and precise that you know that you have to do exactly what He is saying and the way He is saying to do it.  Surely we walk by faith and there are times when we question our ability to hear Him.  However, likewise, there are times when His voice is crystal clear giving us the "petty" details of life.  That process strengthens us for those times when we are not so sure.

The second point that this brings to mind is the fact that details are only important when one is in the will of God.  First of all, Noah had to be obedient to God's command to build the ark.  At that point, the "how" of it, became very important.

If God has spoken to you today to do something and you're still trying to decide whether or not to do it, however you go about doing anything else will only end up in pain and heartache.  God is in the details if we are in the obedience.

Carlen