On August 29, 2004, a tropical storm that became Hurricane Gaston made its way along the South Carolina shore and then found its way to Richmond and deposited 10-12 inches of rain in 24-hours. Our world was turned upside down for an entire month. Streets were flooded, roads washed away, businesses and schools closed, and many of us were without power for a week or more. We had to find new routes to take to get where we were going, find gas for generators and entertain our children, all while trying to get to work. Sound familiar? All the water had to go somewhere. The James river flooded, as well as Lake Ivanhoe. Our floating dock, pictured above, was left sitting on top of one of the poles, and it took some real creativity to return it to its former position.
I am reminded of “The Flood” that Noah and his family experienced in Genesis 6. God found that the world was in a mess and used “The Flood” to bring man back into a relationship with Him. God found Noah to be “Righteous” and told him to build an Ark to save his family and animals. Noah was obedient and when the Ark was built, the Lord sent the rains. When the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the waters, the rains subsided, the water receded, and the Ark settled back on the ground. Shortly thereafter, God made a covenant, promising that he would never again destroy man by flooding and gave the Rainbow as a Promise.
You may find yourself in your ARK (home) right now, waiting for the rain to stop and the water to recede. This is your time to wait upon the Lord and get a sense of the Spirit’s movement. Use this time in your confinement to build family and commune with God and nature (Noah had a “Boat Load” of critters in his house). This time can be a blessing as children and family members reconnect. Remember how God has and will move in your family, in the past, present or future. Noah’s children were an inheritance whom God would use to establish future generations of Believers. The same is true for you.
Foot Note: Myrtle Baker (who will be 97 this year) and her daughter, Mary Lou Hornby, live across the lake and are members of Cool Spring. I have had the pleasure of knowing six generations of faithful followers in their family. Mama Dunn (Robert and Mary Louise Dunn) was more than 100 years old when I began working at Cool Spring. Next in line were Robert and Minnie Spicer, Hardy and Myrtle Baker, Ken and Mary Lou Hornby and their children, Ben and Stephanie, and four grandchildren. What a privilege! What a legacy, all of them Believers! Take the time to build upon your family legacy of FAITH while in your ARK.
That’s the view from my backyard!
Wayne Smith
May 6, 2020
