Every month or at least every season of the year has characteristics that turn my thoughts to scripture. For instance, ever since someone sent me an e-mail bringing this to my attention, I can't help but think of Psalm 14:1 when April Fool's Day rolls around.

“The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'”

Except for the fact that passage hadn't been written at the time of Noah, it would have probably been a favorite of his. Noah preached for as many as 100-years about the impending flood, and no one believed him. After all, people up until then had not experienced rain, much less a flood. The heavy rains that fell on Fort Gibson and elsewhere recently reminded me once again of God's power.

Genesis 6-9 tells the story of the flood: 5 The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:5-8).”

Of course, you know what happened next. God gave Noah specific instructions. The ark was to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, 45 feet tall, made of cypress (gopher) wood, and would be used by Noah's family along with pairs of animals to survive for an entire year.

Can you imagine the ridicule Noah and his family must have been put through by people in his community? Just think of the people's reaction when he would answer the question, “Hey Noah! What are you doing?” It must have been difficult to keep from being swayed by people's opinions and the cultural mindset. Add to that the challenges Noah must have also faced within his own family. After all, just before this massive project began, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 5:32). Do you think he ever went to the local bookstore to look for information on raising teenagers in a corrupt society? Of course, by the time the ark was built, he might have been reading books on how to complete long-term projects with your hundred year old children (pretty young compared to Noah's 600 years).

So what's the lesson in this for us today? The same as back then. The earth will never be flooded so badly again that it destroys all life. But more importantly, we know there is a God, and he always keeps his promises. This should be of great comfort for parents of teenagers. Just remember, if Noah could work with and teach his sons for a hundred years, maybe training our children for 20 years or so isn't all that bad after all considering the prize.