Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Genesis 8:15-15, “Then God said to Noah, ‘Go out of the ark…so that they may abound on the earth and be fruitful and multiply.’ So Noah went out with….”

As we read and share the story of Noah, we often stop there in complete amazement. And yet there is more. We often stop short of Your purposes, Lord. Or I do. I sometimes reach a point, an experience that is so amazing that I stop and stay.

Yet, You do not always call us to one plan, or one purpose only. Sometimes there is another stepping-stone to take. Perhaps not for ourselves, but maybe for another, that together we might be fruitful and multiply. Despite the long years of building the ark, Noah’s work did not end there; perhaps it only began there.

And if our destination is eternity, then we really do not have an end, a stopping point. We are to be ready to follow, to take new adventures, to accept new responsibilities each day.

Please help us to recognize and complete the task You assign, and then be willing and prepared to be moved onward to the next. May it be more important to stay the course with You than to linger with satisfaction short of Your intent.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 111:7-8

“The work of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are sure.

They are upheld forever and ever; they are performed in truth and uprightness.”

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Impossible

Some mornings it is

difficult to face known tasks,

even the commonplace raise

doubts of competence.

How then to wake each

day to new assignments,

strange blueprints with

odd vocabulary, unseen diagrams.

Unable to explain to scoffers.

Even own family gives support while

worry lines crinkle their eyes.

Fewer now the blind call to

build impossible creations.

Yet still possibilities nudge

when we truly listen.

Fresh words,

unseen—unimagined.

Unique opportunities to obey.

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     Sometimes the thought of building an ark might seem easier than forgiving another, or setting boundaries in our lives. It is often easier to do a task than to change our hearts. Has the Lord asked you to do something seemingly impossible?

2.     Did you find it a hopeful challenge, or a frightening obstacle, or somewhere in between?

3.     Do you find it easier to respond when a task is private or public? Why?

Share: How did the Lord enable you to step out in faith?

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Genesis 7:5, “And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.”

There’s a quote from Lewis Carroll’s Queen, in Alice in Wonderland, where she states, “Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” I often think this idea must apply even more so to Noah as he built that ark.

Scripture tells us he built it in faith, in trust, and in confidence because he believed God. But I can’t help but wonder if his first reaction was confusion over what God said, doubt over his personal ability, and awkwardness as he tried to ask God to explain words and concepts totally foreign to his world.

It almost reads like an ancient fantasy or science fiction novel, a work of imagination. How do you build something you’ve never heard of before? How do you grasp the impossible?

Yet Noah did—all of it—in faith—for years and years.

Each morning, before breakfast, he prepared for a day of surprise and challenge. Did he rise quickly with excitement to the day’s new demands, or quietly savor a few moments of awe in expectation? Did he ever balk, just a little, when his muscles ached, or his family complained, or the people around him ridiculed?

Lord, only by Your Spirit can we be faithful in confusion, persevere through doubt and take steps of faith despite our weaknesses. Please teach us to trust in Your commands no matter how hard or complicated they may be. Help us to meet each day with anticipation—listening for Your nudges—ready to walk in Your will.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 50:23

“‘He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;

And to him who orders his way aright

I shall show the salvation of God.’” 

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Clatter

There is a proverb somewhere

that says even a fool appears

wise if he does not speak.

Yet silence has hidden

away in our world of

continuous sound: communication

we say. Advanced technology

at the push of a key;

send, delete, fax, text,

instant access requiring

instant response. React.

No time to hear

what is being actually said,

no time—to recognize fools.

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     How much do you think external noise interferes with our soul thinking?

2.     What noise is easy for you to ignore? Why

3.     When do conversations around you make it impossible to focus?

4.     Do you think you need more silence in your life? Why or why not?

Share: Do you seek out silence or does it make you uncomfortable?

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Job 13:5, “If you would only keep silent, that would be your wisdom!”

I heard a story once that Susanna Wesley, mother of nineteen children, would pull her apron over her head when she wanted to pray.  And her children knew not to disturb her in her quiet place.

Most of us have more opportunities to find corners or methods of solitude for reflection and prayers, yet for me sometimes the quiet instigates the clamor. I talk my prayers instead of keeping silent. When another is sharing a problem I want to jump in with a solution, instead of listening with support and comfort.

One friend could not bear a silent house so would keep a tv or radio on, set at barely a murmur, because she didn’t want to be distracted from her projects, but complete silence made it impossible for her to be think clearly.

Or how often do we turn up volume to tune out other noises that interfere with our own personal noise? We seem to need to fill quiet pauses with conversation, to cover over silence with any words—regardless how empty they might be.

“Where shall the word be found, where will the word

Resound? Not here, there is not enough silence...”

― T.S. Eliot, Ash Wednesday

Lord, please quiet our tumult and our tension, and teach us to be still. Quiet enough to hear Your answers to the prayers we clamor at You. At peace enough to be willing to wait for wisdom instead of fretting into foolishness. Teach us to be wise.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 62: 1-2

“My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.”