Noah's wife

This week we are studying a lady whose name we don't even know! We've seen that she was a righteous lady, and that she had great compassion.

She also must have been quite strong in her faith.  Can you imagine what you would think? What if your hubby said that God told him to spend years and years building a big boat, and then to load it up with all kinds of animals . . . and then to get all of your family on the boat, too? And then to know that you have to stay on that boat filled with animals for over a year? Wow. That would test anybody's faith! I wonder if Noah's wife heard from God, too. The Bible doesn't tell us if she had confirmation from the Lord, or not.

It's hard to know for sure if the Father is speaking to us, isn't it? Sometimes when we are facing a decision or situation that we aren't sure what we should do, we feel like it would be nice to have a sign. Moses had a burning bush -- maybe we could at least have a small sign to lead us? Just something to confirm if we are headed in the right direction.

Perhaps Noah's wife had strong faith because of her years of serving God. I bet she had seen Him provide for her family, and she knew that she could trust Him in the present and the future. How can we develop that kind of faith in today's world? We can do it by spending time with God. By taking time each day to listen to Him and study His Word, we can be more familiar with that small voice that speaks to us. And we can hear the Spirit speak to us in the passages we read in the Bible. Each day as we grow closer to Him, we can see more clearly that His plans for us are good, and that we can trust Him. We can obey Him in the smaller tasks that He gives us, and that will make it easier to obey Him when He calls us to something that seems "too big" for us.

The Bible doesn't tell us about any certain times that Noah and his family worshiped God, or about the ways that they worshiped. But the Bible does tell us that they were a godly family, so we can assume that they kept Him and their worship important parts of their everyday lives. Even with boys to raise, the daily routine of managing her household, and laying in supplies for the long time on the ark, Noah's wife must have had her priorities "straight." Keeping our priorities in order can often be quite a challenge. We live in a world where we are as busy as bees. We juggle families, careers, church activities, and whatever else we can fit into our schedules before we fall into our beds, exhausted.

Remember when Jesus instructed Martha when she complained about Mary? She spoke to Jesus and was frustrated because Mary was sitting at His feet, instead of helping her with the meal preparations. Like Martha, we must be careful not to miss the most important thing. The absolutely most vital thing that we can do for ourselves and our families is to spend time with the Lord and to study His Word. If we make that a priority, the other details of our lives will fall into place.

                     But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these 
                     things will be given to you as well.  (Matthew 6:33)

Noah's wife must have kept her focus on God, for she exemplified the virtues of great faith, righteousness, and compassion for others. She led a life that is a godly example for us.