A Season of Hope ~ Preparing our Hearts for Easter
John 14:6
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Bonnie was one of a group of ladies who gathered in our neighborhood each week to attend a Bible study, and this particular group was digging into Genesis. One afternoon, the chapter study offered parallels to the account of Noah’s Ark providing safety and security from the deluge that was to come, and Christ’s provision of safety and security in this life and for eternity. Bonnie, who was normally quiet, seemed particularly inquisitive that day, asking lots of questions. At one point she blurted out, “So what does it mean to be ‘born again’? I’m not sure I am.” Glancing at my watch, ever mindful of the need to finish on time, I suggested to Bonnie that she come for tea one afternoon and we could talk about it.
Two days later, she accepted my invitation. While sipping our tea, we opened the Bible to answer her questions and, after fully understanding was it meant to be born again, Bonnie made the life-changing decision to place her faith in Jesus. Little did she know that a storm was about to rage around her as soon as she got home. Her husband asked for a divorce and within the next few months, she lost three family members. Our gracious God had prepared Bonnie to weather the storm by inviting her into His Ark of Safety to shelter, protect and guide her through the deluge.
Her experience is a powerful testimony of how God provides security and hope in the worst that life throws at us. We can learn a lot when we compare Noah’s Ark of safety and Christ as our Ark of Safety:
• Noah’s Ark represented safety for Noah and his family before the flood came: Jesus’ Ark provides a refuge in the storms of life.
• Noah’s Ark had only one door to enter: Jesus is the only door to God.
• Noah’s Ark had no rudder, piloted only by God: Jesus is our rudder; He leads us where we need to go.
• Noah’s Ark had only one window, placed high up, so that those inside had to look up, which took their eyes off the destruction: Jesus encourages us to look up rather than on our circumstances.
Just as Noah preached and warned that the ark was the only hope his friends and family had, Jesus proclaimed the Good News that He is the only Way and that our hope is in Him alone. Many who we come in contact with every day may be living through storms of life without a place of safety or refuge. Circumstances may have flooded any hope for a secure future. Many live without knowing that there is hope in Jesus. May we stay alert and faithful to share that message with those who are lost and feel they are without hope. Perhaps you, dear reader, are desperately seeking eternal security and hope for the future. Look to Jesus; place your faith in Him today and enter into His ark of safety that provides the peace and hope for eternity that you are seeking.
Father God, we thank You for providing, through Jesus, an ark of safety from judgment. We acknowledge that He is the only Door, the only Way we can live securely for eternity. How comforting to be reminded during this Lenten season that You can be trusted to pilot us and guide us and You will never throw us overboard! Use us, we pray, to communicate effectively to others about the hope, peace, and joy that can be found in knowing You, Lord, as our Ark of Safety. In Your loving name we pray, Amen.
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