13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! 14 “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper. 17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.” 22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
Genesis 6:13-22 NLT
Growing up there was one game on the playground that intimidated me like no other; double dutch. For weeks, I would stand and just watch the ropes swinging… hesitating; as peers skipped around me and leaped right in. Those two long jump ropes swinging one after another filled me with fear. As I tried to time my steps and hop in, I delayed action out of uncertainty and caution. I didn’t want to make a mistake in front of my peers. Looking back, hesitation had a cost and still does.
There is an inherent danger when we hesitate in performing God’s commands. Let’s look at Noah in Genesis Chapter 6. God told him that destruction was coming, then gave him very specific instructions on building a boat. That’s it. There were no more details given, yet Noah did as he was commanded. He did not hesitate and was prepared for the next set of instructions that came (Genesis 7:1-5). When God instructs us to do something, we have to act. Our hesitation shows what we have faith in and where our true fears lie.
What would have happened if Noah hesitated and didn’t listen to the instructions? or even waited before building the boat? Noah could have been placed in a situation where he was ill-prepared and the boat was not ready for the coming floods. Let Noah remind us that true obedience and hesitation can not co-exist. If we fear anything else above the Lord and His instruction, then we could be setting ourselves on a path towards destruction. Right now, in this moment, refuse to allow hesitation to cost you God’s protection, provision, or peace anymore.
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