Shut In!

Noah was the only man to find favour with God amidst a wicked and a depraved generation. He obeyed and did all that the Lord commanded him to do, facing mockery and ridicule doing a task that he had absolutely no experience ever doing. Through Noah's obedience, God brought about the protection of Noah's family, destroyed the rest of mankind and repopulated the world. Now that is some impact or what!?!

God gave Noah the stupendous task of building this huge ark, single-handedly. He then also had to bring in every kind of animal, reptile and bird, in their pairs. If that was not enough, Noah also had to plan and stock sufficient food for each of these species, besides for his own family, for an extended period of time. What an array of skills and abilities he would have required.

But, after Noah had done all that God had asked him to do, he entered the ark. Noah entered the ark, with his family and all the animals, and the Bible says God closed the door behind him! He was shut in!

Noah was shut in this huge waterborne zoo, which continued to rise on the torrential floodwaters. Shut-in with the smells, the noises, the absolute cacophony of animals and birds. Not for just a day or two, but for a whole hundred and fifty days! He was shut-away from possible friends and neighbours that he loved. Noah was firmly and truly shut-in. God shut him in! Now is that what you get for obedience, one may wonder?

In our faith walk too, obedience to God may lead to situations when we feel shut in or shut out! Obedience to God may sometimes mean shutting yourself away from the pleasures and patterns of this world. Obedience to God could also mean shutting yourself away from others and doing things very different from what others around you may be doing. Obedience could be lonely; it could be noisy and smelly too. It would mean hard work. Obedience often would mean getting out of your comfort zone.

But the beauty of this walk of obedience with Jesus is that then it is He who sometimes shuts you in. And when it is, He who shuts you in, He protects you (Deuteronomy 31:6), He watches over you (Psalm 32:8), He plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). When the Lord shuts you in, He will also use you, to bless the world around you (2 Corinthians 9:8). And that my friend is the thrill of the adventure of the Christian faith walk. 

Is that joy and thrill yours today?

Lord help me know and remember that wherever I may be shut in today, You are there with me, watching over me