I learned the story about Noah and the flood as a little child in Sunday School. Taking his family and all the animals aboard the ark was quite an event. Many years later the man who eventually brought me to faith in Christ used that story to engage me in a dialogue about my relationship with God. He asked me, “How many animals of each species did Moses take on the ark?” I quickly responded with my answer, “He took two of each kind of animal.” He replied, “No! Moses didn’t take any animals on the ark. It was Noah.” We both had a chuckle and then he got serious. It would take four months of him persistently sharing with me about spiritual matters before that glorious evening when I opened my heart and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ.
It is amazing to me now that he didn’t give up on me. There were times when some of the things he told me triggered anger in me and I walked away from the discussion. But numerous times he would kindly visit with me again, always starting with a simple question. I’m eternally grateful for his perseverance because through those visits God eventually changed the whole course of my life.
You see, I loved being in the Navy. I was being promoted in rank as rapidly as possible. I had reenlisted with the intention of making it my career. Little did I know that within the next year I would make a radical change and spend the rest of my enlistment preparing to become a minister of the gospel.
And it all started with a silly question about Noah’s ark.