How it is possible to be unaware of something that should be obvious to us? Noah spent one hundred and twenty years building the Ark and yet all of his family (which may have included other children, Noah’s brothers, sisters, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews, etc.), seemed to be totally unaware there was a flood on the way. Their presumption put them in harm’s way and eventually led to their death.
As alert as man may be concerning dangers that could be in certain areas of his life, he still seems to be oblivious to dangers in other areas of his life.
Such was the case with me some time ago, after I had gotten out of the military. Some of my friends and I decided we wanted to go to down to the creek to our favorite swimming hole and take a little dip. There was nothing quite as refreshing to a country boy on a hot summer day in East Texas than going swimming in the creek. The water was cool and refreshing and there were not any snakes to put up with (most of the time).
It had been several years since I had been to the old swimming hole and I was really looking forward to renewing our acquaintance. However, I was unaware of the changes that had taken place in the creek over the years…due to heavy rains and flooding.
As a result of the floods and high water, the spot where I liked to dive in was now filled with sand. I did not check the depth of the water, but assumed nothing had changed since my last trip there. What I did not know was that the water was no longer six feet deep in that spot—as I had remembered—but was now two feet deep.
When I dove into the sand my body went into shock and I almost drowned and broke my neck at the same time. I did seriously fracture my neck and I still have neck problems to this day. It is only by the mercy of God that I was not permanently paralyzed.
In this day, I wonder just how many dangers there are lurking around the corner…that most of us are not even unaware of. If that is the case, then we probably presume a lot more than we should.
Perhaps all of our lives are made up of a series of diving experiences that have nothing to do with actual swimming holes…yet they could have paralyzing affects. Some of those experiences may have been things like blindly diving into a business adventure, presumptuously getting involved in a relationship, taking a job on assumption, making naive commitments, etc. We may not have broken our necks, but we still feel the pain of our foolish decisions…as I still do because of my “dive in” decision.
The people in Noah’s day were so preoccupied with their own pleasures that they presumed nothing was ever going to change—but it did and they lost their lives. Presumption can be a killer.
Father,
Help us not to be a presumptuous people. Help us to be more aware of the dangers in life. Lead us by your Holy Spirit so our ears will not be dull of hearing and our eyes dull of seeing. Lord our desire is not to be preoccupied with the pleasures of the world to the extent that it costs us as it did the people in Noah’s day. We want to be sensitive to Your Spirit even if it means going against the flow of life as Noah did.
Amen
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:38-29 ESV)
Apostle John Dean Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved
Alliance International Ministries