“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” Genesis 6:22
Have you ever met a person with a “can do” attitude? No matter how daunting the undertaking they
face, they believe they can get it done. Likely that attitude came from a multiplicity of moments when
they faced a daunting task and had a mentor or authority figure in their life telling them they could. As
a child, I can remember time after time examining a task or project that my dad said I could do and I
was certain I could not: either because it seemed too big of an ask, or because I was too afraid. Time
and time again, I trusted my dad when he said I could do it, and sure enough, he was right! As a
Christian, sometimes the Holy Spirit whispers in my ear and shares a project He wants me to do – and
I don’t always respond with confidence or a “can do” attitude. Sometimes I try to negotiate,
sometimes I try to tell Him why it’s not a great idea and I am the wrong person, and sometimes, to my
shame, I pretend I didn’t hear Him.
Genesis 6 tells the story of God instructing Noah to build the ark:
“And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon
the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with
violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the
earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood…” (verses 13-14)
Can you imagine what it was like for Noah to be hearing that God was going to destroy the entire earth
and to then be told to build an ark – a giant boat. Noah didn’t have a boat building business. He didn’t
have an army of contractors to call upon to help with his task. Noah had himself and his three sons.
The ark was so large that it took them one hundred and twenty years to build it! Imagine the moment
when God gave him the instruction to build the boat in the first place, followed by the specifications
for the size. I can’t help but wonder what thoughts and emotions were running through him as God
was communicating the size and requirements for this boat. It was a daunting task! The Bible doesn’t
record any hesitation by Noah, there is no record of him balking at the task being asked of him. The
response we see recorded is this: “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did
he.” He just did it!
When the Lord presses on our hearts and whispers in our ears to do something, how do we respond?
When we feel led of the Holy Spirit to witness to someone, to lend a helping hand, to encourage them?
Do we jump into action? Or do we miss our moment? When the Lord puts a burden in our heart to
participate in a mission trip, or in church events, do we sign up? Or do we pretend we didn’t hear Him
and let other people reap the blessing? When the Lord puts a fire in our heart to accomplish something
for Him that is scary: perhaps teaching a Sunday School class, joining a ministry team, or giving our
tithe, do we hesitate, or do we obey His leading?
There is another story in the Bible of another spiritual leader, who responded very differently from
Noah. In Exodus chapters 3 and 4, God instructs Moses to return to Egypt where the children of Israel
were held in captivity, to gather the elders of the people, to tell them that God was going to deliver
them, and to lead them. God even told Moses that He would deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians
and that when they left they would be taking all of the silver, gold, and jewelry of the Egyptians with
them. That’s quite a promise! Moses’ response is recorded in Exodus 4:1: “And Moses answered and
said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath
not appeared unto thee.”
The problem with Moses’s response is simple: his response was all about him and his ability, and not at
all about God and God’s ability to see it come to fruition.
What a contrast between the responses of Noah and Moses! In the end, God used both men, because
He is gracious. Noah’s response was complete obedience. Moses’ response was self-centered. When
God whispers an instruction to us, we get to choose how we will respond. We can have a “can do”
attitude like Noah and get right to it, because if God asked if of us, then He knows we can complete it.
The other option is to let our ego (or lack of personal confidence) get in the way and balk at the task
like Moses. Implying that God is not capable of giving us the strength and enabling we need to
accomplish what He has asked. The choice is ours. The next time the Lord whispers an instruction in
His still small voice, which response will we choose?
