Genesis 7:16-17, “…and the Lord closed the door behind him. Then the flood came.”

There is a lot more to the context of these words, however, these words are very important. Noah was commanded to build an Ark. He was to prepare it, stock it with food and wait for the animals to arrive. He had heard God’s voice and had obeyed to the letter and waited for a Divine moment unheard of or unseen. It was a word of warning and judgment but with a promise of keeping.

Consider all the work that Noah and his sons did to build a craft according to God’s direction. The years spent, possibly 120, the labor, sweat, frustration and the mocking endured. Yet, the amount of skill and labor and obedience didn’t factor as much as the very powerful Hand of God. God closed the door. He was going to be the Power that kept them safe and brought them to the other side of the storm. The lesson: Don’t put your faith in the boat, or the hands that built it. Put your faith in the Hand of God that keeps it.

We are living in some very uncertain times. Worlds, global and personal are being shaken. Headlines and the personal impact on our lives as we get up and face what is on our plates today are challenging and creating fear and worry. The Prophetic proclaimers and interpreters are out in force trying to read the signs and instilling more fear or maybe generating a level of anticipation: “Come Lord, Jesus Come.”

Regardless, it is the Hand of God who has always kept us, protected us from and through all the storms we have faced. He has done so in the past, is doing so now and will again tomorrow.

Psalm 127, “Unless the Lord builds a house, They who build it labor in vain; Unless the Lord guards a city, The watchman stays awake in vain.”

We are called to be faithful. We are called to labors in God’s name and yet none of that matters unless God is at the heart and source of what we are doing. His Hand over us and keeping us is the only sure place in this world and our lives and should be the primary focus of our lives.

We are coming up on the Recognition of the Cross and the death Jesus Christ. The trauma on those who lived through that moment can only be imagined on our side of history. The darkness, the loss, the devastation to heart and mind as they watched, in their perception, the end of their hopes and dreams. Yet, the Hand of God, was at work and holding together the ongoing moment and the final victory. Jesus Christ rose and the grave was emptied and the understanding of what it was all about was revealed.

Our dark times come and as humans we will doubt and worry and wonder and even contemplate giving up. Don’t. Trust in the Hand of God to keep you, walk with you, protect and reinforce the power you need in Him to get you through the moment. Our hope and faith are not in us and our ability to handle, build, or endure. Our Hope is in the One who willing went to His death and faced the full wrath of Divine Judgment for our sins in order to deliver and protect us. Put yourself in His Hands.