This blog was first published by Canberra Declaration on the 20th September 2019 http://www.canberradeclaration.org.au/?fbclid=IwAR2jOkELp4VnEpN0Gt-Rw3IHMYgESZnuMJuoMpAlwbtfSIjxn8lqT5WIKdA
Have you ever been laughed at, ignored, or just considered silly for doing something? How did it make you feel? Did you feel so bad that you actually stopped doing what was close to your heart? Or were you so committed to the project that you found the courage to keep going?
I remember a Sunday School song, ‘Dare to be a Daniel’. It was written to inspire us to stand up for what we believe is right, in the face of opposition.
As we continue to struggle through the worst drought that Australia has seen in the life of European settlement, there are many people with solutions that could help farmers cope. Yet, many are not being considered as viable, because of the fear of being laughed at, considered unnecessary or just plain silly. Yet, if we can solve the problems our farmers are facing, we would be able to help other countries faced with similar problems. God gave us brains to solve the problems that we are presented with; not only that, He promises to help and inspire us. Climate experts have been telling us for years that the droughts would become more longer and drier, and yet we failed to prepare. We didn’t ‘Dare to be a Joseph’.
I was thinking about Noah one day. Was his project laughed about or just ignored? He was doing something that he knew he had been called to do in order to save his family, and if others had believed in the grace of God, they would have been saved too. He faced many challenges during the time that it took to complete the Ark, but he kept going.
Suddenly I realized that if Noah had succumbed to the pressure to give up, we would not be here -- we would not exist. The world was wicked and God was ready to dispose of all of humanity. If Noah had sinned and not completed that Ark, we would not be here now. We are descendants of Noah.
So, if you are being laughed at or ignored for doing something that you feel sure God has planted on your heart, ‘Dare to be a Noah’ and keep on going. God has a very special reason for you to be part of the plan, and He will complete His plan, not only for you, the rest of the world but future generations.
Prayer:
Lord, You have been warning us for years that our hard times were coming. Yet, we failed to be like Joseph and put things in place to help meet the needs of our farmers and communities. Give those in authority the courage to dare to be a Noah and put things in place so that the future can be secured for all of us now, future generations and the world.
[Photo by Oleg Demakov on Unsplash]