Remember the great flood in the Bible?
That was during the time of Noah a long, long time ago. Let me re-tell that old, old story.
The people were doing all sorts of bad, terrible things, sinning against God. The Lord was displeased and so disappointed He decided to wipe out all the people of the world.
Except Noah.
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Noah was a good man. He loved God and did what the Lord wanted Him to do. God told him to build an ark because a flood never before imagined by anyone will soon come to drown all of the earth.
God wanted the ark to be very big to take in two of all kinds of animals, including the giant ones like giraffe, camel, and dinosaur.
And so Noah spent days and nights building the big, big ark for many years. And when the time came for the rains to start falling onto earth, Noah led his wife, his three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their families, and the animals into the safety of the ark.
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It rained and rained and rained for forty days! The water rose higher and higher till every man, woman, and child was drowned and you could not see even the tallest mountain!
The ark floated on the water for about seven months until it landed on the mountains of Ararat.
There the ark stayed until the the tops of the mountains were seen. Noah sent out a dove to see if there was dry land. But the dove could not find a place to rest, so it came back.
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After a week, Noah sent the dove out again. This time, the dove came back with an olive leaf in its mouth. And Noah knew that the water was getting lower. One more week later, Noah sent out the dove again. It did not come back.
When Noah looked out, what did he see? The earth was dry!
God told Noah to leave the ark and bring out the animals—to let them multiply on earth. God also sent a beautiful rainbow as a sign and a promise that He would never again send a flood to kill all the people.
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I wanted to talk about Noah this New Year because there have been so many floods around the world lately.
In the news are the floods in Australia, Pakistan, and in the southern parts of our country which have killed and injured many people.
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There’s a difference between the great flood in the Bible and the floods we have today.
God sent the flood in Noahs’s time. Today, it is the people who make the floods happen. How?
Cruel disrespect for nature: we cut trees, we kill animals, we pollute the air and seas, and we use all sorts of dangerous chemicals and gasses to run our businesses.
The results: crazy climate never before seen on earth. Too cold in some areas, too hot in others. Flooding in many places, and drought in just as many areas. When these unfortunate events happen, lives and homes are lost, crops and people are harmed.
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What can we do to help save nature?
I know you have a lot of ideas in your head. Share them with Big Little People and we will publish them. When others read those ideas, they will be inspired to do the same.
My e-mail: gdchong@gmail.com My website: http://leavesofgrace.blogspot.com