It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. HEBREWS 11:7 (NLT)

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By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God. 
The Message

I received a contract last night with a couple of holes in it. There are things I understand and things I do not. Before I sign my name, I need more detail. I have faith in what is going to happen when the agreement is completed. However, as President Ronald Reagan once said, I will “trust, but verify.” 

How many people would you say are in the trust, but verify camp? It doesn’t much matter what people are asked to consider in personal matters, there is a measure of trust or they would not have certain conversations in the first place. They do not lay their money down, however, until they are reasonably certain there is an even exchange. 

God asked Noah to build a ship far from shore in the middle of dry land. God told him something was going to happen that had never happened before. Noah was not a trust, but verify kind of guy. Instead, he was a man who jumped when God said, “Jump!” His guiding philosophy seemed to be that God was true and anyone who disagreed was wrong. He would have never made it as a politician. 

Noah trusted God for something he had never seen. God said he was going to do something new, something entirely different. Then he invited Noah to join him. Noah said yes. “The result? His family was saved.” 

God said it. Noah believed it. His family was saved. 

What is God inviting you to do today? Will you trust him even if you look foolish for a while? Will you follow him wherever he leads? Or will you trust, but verify, and miss the boat? 

Faith is trust. It is trusting God that he can see what we cannot. He is fully prepared for what’s next. He will prepare us and use us to bless the whole world if we will join him in his work. 

God is probably not going to ask you to build an ark. He has been there, done that. What he asks may be something general that he asks everyone everywhere. It may be something special only you can do. How will you respond? 

Noah said Yes. Another guy in the New Testament had a similar philosophy. In Luke 7:1-10 there is a story about a centurion whose servant was sick to the point of death. Jesus was asked to go heal him. The centurion sent word to Jesus as he drew near that he did not have to come all the way to his house, “Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed,” (v. 7). 

How much faith in God do you have? Is it a trust, but verify faith? Is it an automatic Yes faith? Is it a “Just say the word” faith? Try an experiment. Right now in the safe surroundings where you read these words, pray a simple prayer of trust: “Our Father, whatever you want is what I want, too. Just say the word and my answer is Yes.” 

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I will trust God whatever he asks.

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Our Father, you always want what is good for me. You cannot do otherwise. Sometimes what is good for me does not look good or feel good at the moment. It is, however, what I need then and there and all the days to follow. What do you want for me today? That’s what I want, too. Whatever you say, I say Yes! Amen.