Do you find yourself in situations where people question you, or worse, outright ignore you? It can be frustrating, right? You know you’re right, and yet, it feels like no one is listening or even giving you a chance.
Wondering how to handle these moments without rolling your eyes in exasperation or screaming in frustration? Trust me, I’ve been there.
Has God called you to something that no one else seems to understand? Maybe He’s given you a vision or a purpose that doesn’t make sense to those around you, and you’re left feeling isolated or misunderstood.
What you need is the humility and confidence of Noah.
“I told you so!” would have definitely been what I screamed out the window as soon as the rain started. Not very humble. Not very demure. Not very cutesy.
How do we respond when the Lord reveals something that others are ignoring?
Typically, this kind of response often comes from family and friends—much like the reaction Jesus received when He said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown.” Even Jesus faced rejection from those closest to Him.
It can be hurtful and confusing. It is frustrating and causes doubt. A prideful and haughty response can cause pain so wisdom is essential.
Telling people the truth of God’s word should be clothed in love and grace. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ – Ephesians 4:15
However, when we are not received it’s important to “dust our feet”, pray, and move on. Easier said than done. That’s where the humility steps in.
Humility
Noah accepted the call of God. Throughout the story, we see that Noah did all that God commanded him, step by step, with unwavering faith. His humility to simply say “yes” to God, even when it didn’t make sense to those around him, speaks volumes. Sometimes, the biggest leap we must take is having enough humility to trust and obey.
In accepting God’s call, we must also recognize that it doesn’t require the approval of others. Sure, having others see and support what you’re doing can feel encouraging, but that isn’t our goal. We should seek to do all that God commands of us.
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Confidence
Noah focused on his task. This is where God-fidence steps in. I imagine that building that big of a boat and going to gather all these animals took all his time and mental energy. If we are faithful to focus on what God has placed in our hands then we have less time to figure out how we want to gloat.
Confidence is the feeling that you can rely on yourself. God-fidence is the belief that you can rely on God.
I don’t know about you but I love to be right. Sometimes, in a prideful way and sometimes in a “my goodness I hope I’m right so I’m not embarrassed” type of way. Either way, when I sense that coming up I have to humbly ask the Holy Spirit to take over. In our walk, when handed the responsibilities that God has placed before us we should take care to ask for humility so that the work of His hands gets full glory.
We also have to have a strong belief that God will do what he says. Noah had to do more than rely on himself when building an ark for decades. In doing whatever God has called us to we have to believe that He will finish what He started. No matter how long it takes. Whenever we have been working diligently for weeks months or years let us not forget Noah’s dedication.
