This morning has been a mess in the beautiful village northwest of Hot Springs. The rain has fallen non-stop this morning, offering its help in beautifying nature while frustrating aspiring turkey hunters.
Watching the rain got me thinking about Noah, the preacher of righteousness. How long do you think modern-day church leadership would employ Noah? For 120 years, he was faithful to his God-given task, yet his message garnered zero converts outside of his immediate family.
Was it Noah's lack of zeal? Did his message come with too much truth and too little illustration? Were his stories not funny? Were his jokes stale? Did he lean too heavily on preaching information rather than inspiration?
The modern-day church, with its emphasis on visionary dreams and missionary emphasis, would never give a man like Noah long. The results? Too lackluster. The prospects for the future? Too dismal.
But God never gave up on Noah. God didn't fire or retire Noah. He didn't reassign Noah or force Noah to relocate. What is the message for us as we consider God's longsuffering with his prophets, even in the face of what we would call "unacceptable" conversion rates?
