I am Noah, and I was called to build a boat when there was no sea in sight. This is my story of faith, endurance, and the faithfulness of God.
The world in my time had become unspeakably wicked. Violence filled the earth. Every imagination of men's hearts was only evil continually. It grieved the Lord that He had made man, and He determined to cleanse the earth with a flood. But I found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
God spoke to me and revealed His plan. He would send a flood to destroy all flesh, but He would establish His covenant with me. I was to build an ark - a vessel of salvation. The dimensions were precise: three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, thirty cubits high. I was to bring my wife, my three sons and their wives, and two of every living creature - male and female - to preserve life upon the earth.
For a hundred years, I labored on that ark. My neighbors mocked me. They had never seen rain - the earth was watered by mist in those days. They called me a fool, building a boat on dry land. But I believed God's word, and I kept building.
When the ark was complete, God called the animals to come. It was a sight beyond imagination - creatures of every kind, from the great behemoth to the smallest creeping thing, walking, flying, crawling to the ark in pairs. They came of their own accord, guided by the hand of their Creator.
My family entered the ark, and the Lord Himself shut the door behind us. Then the fountains of the great deep broke open, and the windows of heaven were opened. Rain fell for forty days and forty nights. The waters prevailed upon the earth for a hundred and fifty days. Every living thing that moved upon the earth died - except those with us in the ark.
Inside that wooden vessel, we cared for the animals and waited on God. The ark pitched and rolled, but it held firm. After the waters began to recede, we waited. I sent out a raven, then a dove. The first time, the dove returned finding no rest. The second time, she came back with an olive leaf. The third time, she did not return at all.
When we finally emerged onto dry land, my first act was to build an altar and offer sacrifices to the Lord. The smell of the offerings pleased Him, and He made a covenant with all living things: never again would He destroy the earth with a flood. He set His bow in the clouds as a sign of this everlasting promise.
Whenever I see a rainbow, I remember both the judgment and the mercy of God. He is righteous enough to punish sin, yet gracious enough to provide a way of salvation.