TP

That's what the Lord brought to my mind today after reading the story of Noah - TP.  Not that kind of TP though I'm sure they needed a lot of it with all those animals and people on the ark - LOL! But rather, Trust and Patience. 

Can you imagine the amount of trust and patience it took on Noah's part to build the ark?  I can't!  I had a hard time trusting and being patient for 20 or so years while I was waiting for the Lord to bring me the right man to marry.  I can't begin to imagine the amount of trust and patience it took for Noah to build an ark when there wasn't a drop of rain in the sky.

In Genesis 5:32 it says that Noah was 500 years old when he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.  The next mention of Noah's age is in Genesis 7:6 where it states that he was 600 years old when the flood waters came on the earth.  So while the bible doesn't mention what age he was when God told him to build the ark (Genesis 6:13) we can conclude that it took a lot of years.

Day after day, he toiled and worked.  One more piece of wood, one more nail, one more...one more....I'm sure there are times he pounded a nail and then looked up and said, really???  Really God? This is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life?!?  I know I would have.  I'm sure he probably even had moments of impatience where he threw his saw down on the ground and walked away feeling like what he was doing was a waste.  No one in town believed him, they all thought he was crazy and I'm sure his wife may have even questioned his soundness of mind a time or two.  I mean, he was human after all, so I'm sure he felt all those emotions but then that's where the trust kicked in.

He trusted that God had a plan.  He trusted and believed that God was going to do what He said He was going to do and that is bring a great flood.  He may have had moments of questioning, just like the rest of us, but ultimately he trusted God.  He didn't let his neighbors fill him with so much doubt that it stopped him from doing the task laid before him.  He took a deep breath and reassured his family that he was following God's plan.  He may have paused but then he picked up his hammer and got back to work. 

I'm sure Noah prayed without ceasing.  I have no doubt that he had an ongoing conversation with God.  I imagine those prayers were full of praise, sprinkled with questioning and topped off with a healthy dose of thankfulness that he and his family were to be spared.  Prayer is what refilled his TP :-)  Communication and time spent with God is what refreshes our soul and renews our resolve to stay the course. 

So whatever task the Lord may give us or whatever challenge life hands us, we must always remember a good supply of TP