Planning an Altar of Praise
When the quarantine began and my mind was still working at a close to normal level of efficiency, I went on a little hunt through the Bible for a story or two of similar quarantine-like experiences. Secretly, I was hoping to find an example of a Biblical character who weathered their quarantine with faithfulness and steady joy.
The list grew quickly. The reasons for the quarantine or isolation varied but God’s faithfulness remained steadfast in each one. His sovereignty stood out like a main character. By far, the story that resonated with me the most was the story of Noah. Noah and his family were “quarantined” on the ark for their safety and preservation of life. By my amateur calculations, Noah’s family was isolated in the ark for approximately seven months total. (Gen 7:12, 17, 28; 8:5-6)
Seven months.
Parallels Between Noah’s Quarantine and Ours
Think about Noah and his sons, waking up each day to the same faces covered with scruffy beards and showing a need for a haircut up top…. just like you every morning of this pandemic.
Think about how scared they must have felt when the storm raged outside and their home tossed about unpredictably. Think of the worrisome thoughts they may have struggled with as they tried to sleep at night: Are we safe? What will it be like when this is over and we leave the ark? How long will this last? Remember, they didn’t know the Sunday School songs we grew up singing. They didn’t know that it would “rain and pour for 40 days-ies, days-ies.” To them, every day was just like the last one and no one could tell them how much longer they would have to endure the storm.
Think of Noah, rationing out the food, for his family and for the animals. No extra snacks. No extra toilet paper. You may not have related to that piece of Noah’s story until now. Right?
Think about the monotony. Same people. Same four walls. Same rain. No Netflix.
And yet, God, in his wisdom, kept them busy with work. They had animals to feed. Stalls to clean. Meals to make. It gave their days a rhythm, surely a different rhythm than they had in their pre-flood days, but still a rhythm that brought a sense of purpose. They found a new rhythm inside the ark and it was good. Very good.
This, dear friend, is what stirred my heart the most because I too had to find a new rhythm when the pandemic forced me to Stay Home for going on three months. Before the pandemic, I found a lot of joy in my work, wether it was cleaning the house, running errands for my family, getting the kids to their practices and appointments, checking in with my friends, or my little day job at the church office. My work satisfied me — there’s a whole lot of good in that and a bit of not-so-good too. My point is, work kept me busy and happy. Then, the quarantine put a stop to most of my jobs and I suffered. I needed a new routine, a new rhythm.
We were created for work. I have learned that wether I am in a healthy season, an unwell season, or somewhere inbetween, there is always something God-designed for me to do. Noah and his family didn’t stop working in their quarantine, they just worked differently. They carried on and it was good for them to do so. There’s no mention of the family quarreling or jumping ship. They worked and they waited. There’s a nugget of goodness in that.
Waiting on God’s Direction
Noah was a great role model for waiting on God’s direction. He built the ark at God’s direction. He went aboard at God’s direction. And when the rain stopped, he waited for God’s direction to know when it was safe to exit the ark. He sent out birds more than once, patiently waiting for God’s signal. (Gen 8:15)
It would be tempting to think Noah was super-human, better at waiting patiently than mere mortals like you and me. Thankfully, later in Genesis, the Bible records a rather unlovely story about Noah so we could be sure he was just as human as we are. (Gen 9:20-27) If Noah could wait seven months for God to give him a new direction, to tell him what his next step should be, surely we can wait through three months of sheltering-in-place for God to show us what our next step should be.
He will give us our next direction. For some of us, it will be to go back to work, to re-open a business, to move on. For others of us, God’s direction will be to continue to stay home. I think I represent the at-risk group in the pandemic. For me, and maybe for you, it’s not yet safe enough to exit the ark of home. My three month quarantine will continue and may end up looking more like Noah’s seven month quarantine. My next direction is to continue to wait. Work and wait at home.
An Altar of Praise
Let’s not forget how the story of the flood ends, and I don’t mean the rainbow. I mean the altar. Noah’s first action after disembarking was to set up a stone altar of praise to the Lord. (Gen 8:26)
I imagine Noah had this planned for a long time. Perhaps at night, after the evening chores were done, he contemplated the best way to show gratitude and praise to God’s for his faithfulness and loving preservation of Noah’s family. Clearly, Noah was ready to set up this altar because it was the very first thing he did when his feet touched dry land.
I know that at some point, maybe soon but probably not, it will be safe for me to leave the ark of my home and re-enter the public world again. Noah’s faithfulness has challenged me to be thinking now of how I will show my gratitude to God when that day comes. Will I set up a stone altar? Mmm, probably not. But I might plant a tree. Or place a fountain in my yard. Or simply write out a prayer of praise and frame it for my bedroom wall.
I can be spending time now planning my future praise. And you can too.
How will you praise God for his faithfulness when this pandemic is over? If the storm you are facing is not the pandemic, how will you prepare to praise Him for bringing you through your storm?
17 Quick Resources for You
These articles and podcasts will take you from discouraged to hopeful in 0-30 minutes (depending on what you pick). These resources will help you find hope, right now.
