Because it rained

We all know the story of Noah. We know of the story how the Lord told him to build an ark. And we know the Lord told him to do so because it was going to rain for 40 days. And then, on top of it all, he had to gather animals – “take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate” (Genesis 7)

It was probably not surprising that people at the time would have thought Noah to be completely crazy. I’m sure they looked at the sky and saw no clouds. And I’m sure many would have talked behind his back, while many would have mocked him and jeered and laughed and scoffed at his efforts. After all, it says in Genesis 6: The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”

The people were far from God, and they would surely not have understood the actions of Noah. Thus the mockery and jeering, just as the soldiers mocked Jesus. After all, the mind of carnality does not know the ways of the divine and the real.

Here is an old man building a huge boat. And why? Because it was going to rain for 40 days. This was unheard of at the time. Can we imagine the talk when they heard that Noah was rounding up animals? We have no insight into conversations of people who would have known of Noah’s exploits. It might have gone something like this: “Did you hear of the crazy old man building a boat. What madness! Yes, he must be mad. And he is talking about rain for 40 days and muttering about getting animals into this boat.”

I’m sure we would even scoff at someone in this day and age when they build a boat and say it was going to rain for weeks on end. You could almost feel sorry for those who did not listen to Noah; after all, he was talking about things that would have really challenged the reality of the time.

And then, the rain fell.

You see, it was BECAUSE the rain fell, that Noah’s credentials of being a servant of God was justified. Because it rained, he was not merely a crazy old man. And that is the big difference … because the rain fell, it confirmed that Noah was not imagining things, but had listened to God. If there was no rain, then Noah would have been left red faced, embarrassed and a huge ark with nowhere to go.

But ah, this was not the case because the rain fell.

In the days of Elijah, the prophet called for drought of three years. And then, after his confrontation on Mount Carmel, the Lord showed him a small cloud, which was the start of the rain. Elijah believed this to be so, and he spoke as the Lord lead him to speak. For we read in “1 Kings 18:41: Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” Elijah could have also been branded a madman, someone speaking out of his own imagination, yet the rain fell and the drought was broken. It was because Elijah was a servant of God.

Jeremiah’s reputation as being a prophet would have surely been challenged many times, especially when he said that for 70 years the people of Judah would be held captive by Babylon. Many would have scoffed and laughed at his prophecy. But then, 70 years came and the Lord used Cyrus to set the people free. Yes, the prophecy was fulfilled, because Jeremiah was not a madman, but a servant of God.

In these dark hours where everyone it seems is doing as they please, where the wickedness of man is great and every intent of the thoughts of his heart is continually evil as in the days of Noah, there is a fine line between those who are speaking the will of God, and actually hearing the Lord, compared to those who are but merely speaking out of the imagination, out of the flesh and running around making all kinds of claims. There is a fine difference between those who are actually hearing God to build the proverbial ark, compared to others building their own arks for self-profit or because it comes from their imagination. There is a fine line between those who are declaring droughts or hearing the abundance of rain when there is still nothing, all in the will of God, and those who are merely declaring ‘stuff’ that comes not from the mouth of God. One moves in wisdom, and the other in foolishness.

And such days are upon us. Days of wisdom and great foolishness, of reality and deception, of truth and deception. With Noah, there was nothing false or counterfeit or foolish because God had spoken and the old man obeyed. These are indeed the days of Ezekiel 13 where it says: 6They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

In the days of Noah, it was because the rains fell that determined he was not speaking or acting out of his own will or imagination. In our days, nothing has changed. For the Scriptures say that the Lord’s Word shall not return to Him empty. So what God has spoken and what God’s true servants are speaking, embracing and pursuing, shall be and it shall become a reality because God has spoken it. Yet, the reality is that many are running around proclaiming theology and advocating truths and doing ‘stuff’ that has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God – for them, there is no rain – for they speak not by the authority of God. They build, they construct, they declare, and they proclaim, and yes, many listen and take notice, yet it is all foolishness because God had not spoken.

Just so, as there was a thin line between Noah’s authenticity as a servant and being branded a madman, just so a fine line exists today in churches. Such a fine line exists in the charismatic movement, where the lines are blurred between the work of the Holy Spirit and mere emotionalism, or imagination running riot.

And this is surely the case with the prophetic. What God has spoken shall surely be, and it shall be done according to God’s timing and in God’s will and way. Yet, THIS WILL ONLY BE WHEN SPOKEN AND ACTED UPON BY THE TRUE PROPHETS. As with the warning in Ezekiel 13, there are many today in the churches that are declaring the word of God, yet He did not speak it. For them, the fire will not fall from the sky to consume any offering, or the drought will not be broken or the rain will not fall for 40 days. Many are proclaiming and declaring, yet it is mere foolishness, for only when we declare the Lord’s will by His Spirit shall it be and shall it carry weight and substance.

Indeed, Elijah proved to be genuine, because it rained, and Jeremiah was no fluke, because the people returned home. For Noah, there was no madness and his imagination did not kick into overdrive – because the rain fell.

For those who truly follow the Lord, stay true to the Lord, stay faithful to what He has spoken, and trust and have faith, it shall then be. In this world, for those who listen and act upon the Lord’s Word will often be branded crazy, or mad, yet in the right time what God has spoken will be … and then like Noah, we are no longer deemed daft, instead the world realises its folly.

Indeed, because it rained, Noah’s supposed foolish behaviour seemed a lot like wisdom! So yes, the world may say we are foolish, but for the true worshippers in spirit and truth, keep building the Ark God had called for you to lay your hand upon, and keep speaking what He places on your heart, and keep declaring the will as He makes it clear. No action or declaration by the will of God is foolishness, but obedience that carries the authority of the Kingdom. And yes, let the world laugh, and jeer and mock, for if God has spoken then it shall be, and the mockers and the scoffers shall be silent.

After all, Jesus was mocked on the cross, but His Blood speaks of life, of hope, of redemption, and it is the eternal wisdom. And such a sacrifice is still for the mockers to know hope and peace.

Indeed Noah withdrew in the Lord’s Presence as the Lord shut him and his family into the ark, and shutting out the mocking and the sneering. He could withdrew, be at peace, and know, he had listened to God all because it is rained …

Do we therefore know who is truly acting upon God’s Word, compared to those acting upon their own will and out of the imagination? This critical in our time, for it is time to know the Noah’s from the madmen, and the Elijah’s from the false prophets on Mount Carmel. For if we don’t, we can ignore the Ark and be swept away. For if we don’t, we can miss our deliverance, and miss God’s move.