Dazzling beauty in my cozy breakfast room, with a cup of hot black tea in my hands, I cannot help but marvel at the dazzling beauty of God’s creation. I am abundantly blessed with my beautiful orchids, as the first rays of the sun peek through the blinds and gently bathe them in light. The morning is young, and the sun is doing what it does best—filling the earth with light and warmth.
In this almost “utopian” atmosphere, my inquisitive mind swiftly transports me thousands of years into the past. I behold Noah emerging from the ark that saved him and his sons. It is a new land; nothing remains the same—everyone else has been submerged beneath the waters forever.
A father and three sons to repopulate the earth. And I am part of that family, immersed in a tranquil solitude, devoid of other human beings. Yet, I find myself surrounded by beautiful trees and splendid vegetation; and, as if that were not enough, I have been made into a temple where the Spirit of God dwells.
Noah and his sons repopulated the earth; they had one another. Today, we number in the billions. Now, I enjoy a chosen solitude—just as Noah chose to believe in God before that world had ever even seen a single drop of rain.
I received and joyfully accepted a most peculiar invitation. Its peculiarity lay in the fact that—though on a vastly smaller scale—it bore a resemblance to the construction of the Ark for the purpose of navigating an unknown ocean utterly devoid of water. I have been navigating for eighteen years, and—much like Noah—my sustenance has never failed.
The Initiator of this journey declared that it would be a long and solitary voyage. The very same God who sustained Noah is the One who sustains me. I am a living proof of Noah’s obedience. The ultimate purpose of my invitation is a revelation.
God gave Noah specific instructions regarding how to build the Ark and what he was to bring inside it, as recounted in Genesis 6:14–22. To me, too, He gave this instruction: “You shall be alone with Me; do not look, do not listen, do not speak.” He then provided me with this sustenance for the journey: Isaiah 41:13, Jeremiah 31:16–17, and Proverbs 7:19–20:
“For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” (Isaiah 41:13 NLT).
“But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,”… There is hope for your future,” says the Lord… (Jeremiah 31:16-17 NLT)
“for my husband is not home. He’s away on a long trip. He has taken a wallet full of money with him and won’t return until later…”(Proverbs 7:19-20 NLT)
I have not yet completed my journey, but I am on the verge. I will leave this part open for the final, victorious chapter.
This is my Story? What’s Yours?