Reflections on Genesis 6:14

So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out

God gave Noah specific instructions on how to build an Ark as well as how to stock it and who and what to bring.  Noah was lucky as he knew what was to come, so it was easier to obey God’s orders even if it did take a lot of hard work.

Although we often ask for God’s help re something, we don’t always know what’s coming.  God will let us know to do something even though we’re clueless as to why it is that we have to do it.

It’s not until after the fact that we look back and think, “Oh, now I understand why I needed to do this first!” And, if you’re a believer like myself, you’re usually thankful to God for all His advance help leading up to the rough times.

Here’s one personal example of God preparing us for rough weather.

I’m currently going through Covid.  My very first time, I’ve managed to avoid it for the years it’s been known, but apparently, I seem to have acquired a more aggressive strain that targets people with lower immune systems, which basically, I have.

I felt lost and panicked not knowing how to deal with this and I prayed for guidance.  God’s reply was basically, “I gave you the tools to get through, you’re more prepared than you think you are.”  And God was right.  

When I initially thought it was just influenza, I wasn’t worried. I’ve done that to myself many times before and knew how to deal with this.  Living alone, I also knew how to deal with all varieties of colds and flus, and from what I’ve been learning from my experience with Covid, it’s basically a more complex maths equation compared to the common cold.  

For example, to put it simply, with colds and flus, basic hacks like hot or cold showers depending on what is needed, honey and lemon tea, chicken soup.  Basic hacks that every mother would, or should know.

If you have problems with lethargy, all you really can do is sleep and let your body have a chance to recover.  Same goes if your head is throbbing.  Iron supplements are also useful during this time.

For congestion, steam helps, or “Vicks” a common name in Australian households because it’s a company that specialises in menthol rubs and inhalers to make breathing much easier.

For joint or muscular pains, all one can do is rest and let the body deal with the problem in its own way.  There are also creams and sprays out there that, depending on the product, focus on the muscle or joint causing the grief.

And then there’s lack of appetite.  That can be a good thing when you’re a big person like me.  Ever since my experience with pneumonia in my 20s, my favourite joke has been:  If you ever want to lose weight fast, get pneumonia.

So going back to my own personal experience of Covid which basically involved all of the above, that’s how I see it as one big mathematical equation.  Maybe I can’t fight Covid, and wouldn’t know how to, but I can deal with all the symptoms one at a time and pray.  

I’ve prayed for God to give me strength to fight this and get through it, and I thank God for every day I survive it.  And despite this stormy weather I’m going through, I know God is with me, because He had already given me all the tools I needed beforehand to get through this.

What many might see as a curse, I’ve seen as a blessing because it’s helped me grow in not just experience but my connection with God.

Even if you don’t see your own storm coming, and our storms in life come in many guises, it may not even be on the horizon yet, and God offers you tools because He knows you’ll need them eventually, do you heed His word and follow His instruction so that you’re prepared when the time comes, or do you decide that you don’t need God and whatever comes, comes and you can battle it on your own?

How wonderful it is that God gives us the tools we need to weather our storms.  Personally, I definitely wouldn’t be weathering them without God’s help.