Noah and the Big Ark

God asked Noah to do something that must have sounded very strange. “Build an ark,” He said, and He told him exactly how big to make it. A great boat, on dry land, far from any sea.

So Noah began. He cut wood and shaped it and joined it, day after day, for a very long time. People watched and wondered what he was doing. Noah kept building, because he trusted God.

When the ark was ready, the animals came. Two by two they walked up the ramp: giraffes stretching their long necks, elephants swaying, lions and lambs, rabbits and tortoises and birds of every colour. Noah and his family went in with them, and God shut the door.

Then the rain started. It rained and rained until water covered everything, and the ark lifted up and floated. Inside it was noisy and crowded and safe.

After many days the rain stopped. The water went down slowly, and one day the ark came to rest on a mountain. Noah opened the window and sent out a dove, and it came back with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. The earth was green again.

When they all came out onto the wet, shining ground, God put a rainbow in the sky.

“I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.”

Genesis 9:13

It was a promise, painted in colours, and every time we see one we remember the same thing Noah learned while he was building and waiting: God is faithful, and He keeps His promises.