God warned Noah, the head of his people, there is going to be a flood, prepare for it, save yourself and save your people. Build an ark, don’t mind the fact that you are in the middle of the desert, when the waters do come, it will be unimportant that you are in the desert, near the sea or on a mountain. The flood will cover all, and submerge everyone and everything. Since Noah was the High Priest for his people, and on this foolish hobby of building an humongous ark, in the desert, his people were bound to ask him why this frivolity of building an ark, in the desert. And surely Noah must have answered them and prophesied about the coming flood, and God’s desire to save one and all. Their response; they must have burst out in laughter. So for 70 years Noah toiled away and for 70 years prophesied to the coming flood, but no one paid heed. What makes us deaf to God’s whispers of truth, all around us, I think it is hardness of our hearts towards God and who He is to us. The Pharaohs hardness of heart lead to not only his destruction, but also the destruction of his people and nation.

This is not the story of todays Bible Readings. The readings tell us of hope, that we can confidently hope and trust God. Noah trusted and therefore hoped in God, and was rewarded with the safety of His family. Jesus also hoped and is given a name above all names, and the safety of His family. The Ark of God’s grace, today, is to trust in God, and be part of His Family. In the Noahic Covenant, God promised His help to all humanity, to never let destruction come on such a large scale to harm it. In Jesus, God has promised us safety from death, and a life with and in Himself, not in the world to come, but now. Yes Heaven is where God is, and God in the incarnation is amongst His people for good, forever more. Only problem is, people have labeled Heaven as hell. Therefore we cannot seem to recognise God. Our insecurity make us self-centered and only look at the the problems around us, and fail us because beyond the problems, God is there, desiring us, desiring to be with us, and to lead us through these challenging times/situations, wanting to make us overcomers, conquerors and perfect like Himself.

In the Gospel, Jesus shows us how to start a relationship with God

1. First is to desire and decide the we want God in our life with all our heart. Jesus dedicated His Life to God and desired Him wholly, therefore He was lead to the desert.
2. When we desire God, He also will lead us to the desert, like Jesus, to learn, to become aware of our weaknesses, and to surrender to God.
3. This is important, because this is where we learn the meaning of loosing, and hope for God to take charge.
4. We also will be tempted. Don’t look at this as unacceptable, but look at it as the workshop of perfection. A place where you may fail, but you can, and you must, pick yourself up, go back and to say no to imperfection, carnality and greed of power.
5. Point 4 can become a pitfall, because we can look at our imperfections and throw in the towel/give up. But the fact is that this is the temptation of Adam and Eve; which voice will you hear, your own judgement on yourself, the voices all around that say you cannot make it, or the voice of your Father in Heaven who says, you are perfectly made in His image and likeness, therefore you will overcome and win.
6. Even as you are in the desert, a place where there is no sense of God, tempted by your acquired nature and the harshness of the elements around you, remember the truth; if God has lead you to the Desert, the Good Shepherd is there, very much next to you. You may not sense Him, because what He is building in you is Faith, and faith is not built on emotions and sense, but facts. And the fact is, in this workshop of the desert, you are learning to put on the muscles of Faith. You are growing and maturing in a silent and unnoticeable way.
7. Even as Jesus was ministered by angels, you will be satisfied, and God will fill you with joy.