Trusting While in the Storm

The summer weather seemed to beckon a day meant to spend on the lake in northern Saskatchewan, where my grandparents had a small cabin.  My dad loved fishing for pickerel or jack and equally loved bringing any of his girls along, hoping that we too would have the chance to catch and help filet that evening’s dinner.

The storm seemed to come out of nowhere. Before we knew it, my sister and I were instructed to stay down while dad and gramps tried to navigate the boat through the high waves and pouring rain. It is one of my earliest recollections of combined fear and trust.  Fear because of the circumstances but trust because my dad always seemed to know what to do.  And once again, despite the storm, he brought us home safely to shore.

In Genesis chapter 6 and 7, ‘Operation Flood’ included God downloading his instructions to Noah, knowing Noah had the ability to complete the task with a heart of faith.  It seems unthinkable to build a boat of this magnitude during a time when even the idea of such a project was out of sync from the norm of his society. Yet, isn’t that exactly what faith is? ‘It’s the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ (Hebrews 11:1).  Noah saw something he hoped for and God provided the answer. 

There is still a place of safety in the boat.  Jesus is our Ark, and when the floodwaters come we can be assured that even though we feel the wind of fear and circumstances toss us around, Jesus will always bring us to shore, where our feet will once again be planted on solid ground. Storm clouds can still come out of nowhere, and God’s Word still brings hope.  ‘When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him’ (Isaiah 59:19)

I haven’t been fishing for years but I think I’ll stop by the local grocery store for dinner.  It’s time for some fish.