As Noah was building the ark, he was walking in obedience to the Lord, even though the calamity that was coming had never happened before. As I reflect back on those days prior to my conversion to Christ, I can easily picture the instrument God was using to steer me toward Christ as a modern-day Noah. Bob Stewart was the only man in the meteorological office who was consciously walking with God, bearing the fruit of the Spirit before our eyes. For as long as I had known him, I must confess that I had joined with some of the other men in the office and ridiculed him behind his back. And yet, he never said an unkind word about anyone.
When we had our monthly office parties where our spouses would join us, there was a lot of drinking and drama taking place. But Bob and his wife were never there because on the night of the party, he always volunteered to be the meteorologist on duty so the others could attend the event. Deep in our hearts, we all had an authentic appreciation for him because he was always positive, never vulgar, and never offensive to anyone.
The months between the time I had my first talk with Bob and the night I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ were like a roller coaster. I was filled with more duplicity than ever, rocking back and forth between despair and hope. Bob consistently shared his faith with me and others in the office, but none of us were ready to act on what we were hearing. It was never as though Bob was pushing us to make a decision because he was trusting God to speak to our hearts, gently pouring out God’s love into our lives.