Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: FRESH (04/29/21)
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TITLE: A Fresh New World | Previous Challenge Entry
By Laurie Kiel
05/05/21 -
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And then came the day Noah told her some incredible news. "God wants you to build a WHAT?" Naamah wasn't sure she had heard her husband correctly. A boat? They were miles away from any water to sail it on.
It was all such an incredible idea! Forty days and forty nights of rain when it had never rained before. For every morning, a gentle mist would rise out of the ground and water the land. Build a giant ark? Gather all those animals? And yet, God was with them, and He accomplished it all.
The hardest part was knowing that apart from her husband, sons, and daughters-in-law, everyone she knew was going to drown.
The day came when they had finished the ark, and the animals were aboard.
"Oh, Noah, it's beautiful. The Lord has indeed been with us... Where are you going?"
"With the ark finished, the rain will come soon, and I must try one more time to warn the others."
And off he went, as he had gone so many times, never giving up, even when he came back spattered with rotten eggs. Hating to leave her husband on his lonely crusade, she followed him to watch as he beseeched the villagers one last time.
“Listen everyone--no, listen!" He barely dodged an egg. "You've got to listen to me. Time is--" An egg splattered against his arm, "Time is short. You must repent and join us."
None of them would listen...none of them would live. She was glad Noah had tried, for she knew they had done all they could. The villagers' blood was not on their hands. But sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews--all gone now.
After the forty days of rain, it seemed to take forever for the water to dry up. One hundred and fifty days passed!
But the day came when the water finally dried up, and they were on wonderful dry land. She staggered a little as she tentatively walked on dry ground. She shaded her eyes with her hand to view her surroundings. And then her heart stopped when she felt the wet plop of a raindrop on her hand.
It was raining! Oh no, not again. Her heart thundered in her chest. Which way to the ark, to safety? She started running toward the ark; then, she remembered her sons and their wives. Where were they? She had to be sure they were safe.
She whirled around, frantically searching all around, trying to locate her family.
"It'll be all right, Naamah, " Noah told her tenderly, from behind her. He wrapped his arms around her. "Let's get out of the rain." He pulled her under a rock ledge. He held her tight and said, "Remember God's promise."
They watched the rain, Noah with a look of peace, and Naamah nearly frantic with fear. It was hard to believe when a storm of fear drowned out the sound of God's promise in her heart. But Noah kept holding her and whispering "Remember God's promise."
And then, the rain did stop. Naamah gasped in wonder as she saw a beautiful bow of many colors, a rainbow, just as God had promised. A rainbow proclaiming a fresh new start.
***
Some of you may be dreamers, perhaps battered dreamers, with your hearts scarred by the cutting failures of the past, your ears ringing with the laughter of your so-called friends, your dream of a fresh start in ashes at your feet.
Fellow dreamers, don't be afraid to live the dreams God has for you even when the whole world seems to be laughing at you and calling you crazy. And help your fellow dreamers, the way Noah helped Naamah. When the storms of distress fill your friends' ears, and they want to abandon the dream, hold them tight and whisper God's promises to them.
And the next time you see a rainbow, tell yourself that's not just a rainbow; that's a promise come true. Dare to dream, fellow dreamers, for you serve a God who keeps his promises.
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