Christ Our “Ark”: Direction
"And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat." (Genesis 8:4)
God gave Noah a very detailed blueprint of how He wanted the Ark constructed (Genesis 6:14-16). Conspicuously absent from God’s instructions are the plans for a rudder or a sail. When we think of the Ark, we tend to think in terms of a very large boat, or a ship. But in reality, it was more like a floating box.
Noah’s Ark was not designed as we would expect a typical sea-going vessel to be designed. It did not contain a hull that would allow for direct, linear movement. Nor did it have anything that would allow for propulsion or steering. It’s function was not to move in a specific direction, but simply to stay afloat and keep those inside it alive by doing so.
And so it is for the believer. As those “in the Ark” were kept afloat, not knowing exactly where they were going, yet always aware that they were safe inside, so it is for those who are “in Christ.” We are provided no oar, neither are we given a mast upon which to hang a sail. The “Ark” that is Jesus Christ is without a rudder, there is no helm upon which we may lay our hand and steer the course. But we can be confident that He Himself shall bring us safely to precisely the spot where He wants us.
“And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:19-20)
When we accept the Lord’s invitation and come aboard the Ark that is Christ, we are not furnished with an itinerary nor are we provided a detailed map to where we are going. We are told where the end of the journey will lead us to, but not of the incidents that we will encounter along the way. At times, we may be tempted to look out upon the stormy seas that we are floating atop and become fearful and discouraged. But not only is He the One Who steers the Ark, He is the One Who controls the waters themselves! No errant wave shall move us somewhere that He does not intend for us to go, Neither is it possible that a rising tempest blow us off course or capsize the Vessel wherein we rest. We may not know where we are heading, being blinded by the driving winds and rain, but God knows and it is He Who directs our journey.
This analogy of a Christian knowing where we are going but without a sail or rudder is totally excellent. When I first was reading it, my thoughts were that God’s word is the “sail & rudder.” I’m still chewing on that but what is especially truth is that “no errant wave shall move us … or to blow us off course.” We will reach our destination not because we are moving the sail or rudder, it is because we are in Christ and it is He who controls the “sail and rudder.”
I had not picked up when reading the specs on the ark that there was no sail or rudder. I’m not mechanical so I tend to get glassy eyed when reading specs.