Have you ever heard someone say, “God is in the details”? Don’t you sometimes wish that He would share more of them with you? Often I am grateful that He doesn’t because I look back at some things and realize what a blessing that I didn’t know all that would come about during an experience!

Recently, while reading the story of God’s conversation with Noah about the impending flood I noticed something. In Genesis 6:18-21 (NLT), God said to Noah, “But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 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. 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. And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

Noah had one job to do. Keep them alive! God told Noah who to bring and what to pack along with his very important assignment: keep them alive! I read, and reread, this story and while God gave Noah some very specific details there is ONE detail He didn’t divulge. How long! In the next chapter, God told Noah He would cause it to rain for 40 days and nights…but that’s not how long they were sealed up inside that giant boat. Genesis 7:24 (NLT) tells us, “And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.” Not just 40 days… Noah had to keep them all alive for 5 months! See what I mean about not knowing some details being a blessing?! How did Noah know how much food to carry on board for his family and the animals without knowing everything about the mission? He didn’t. Twice in those two chapters, the Scripture tells us that Noah did exactly everything that God told him to do. Beyond that, Noah put his trust in God.

Trust is actually the key ingredient in the mission. Noah did all that God instructed him to do and then he trusted God in the rest. And God was and is still that faithful today! The lesson in this story is simple, but seldom is it easy. We must be obedient to what God is telling us to do. Do it, and then, trust Him for the rest. God honors obedience every single time because He is faithful.