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When reading about Noah and the Ark recently, I realized it is bigger than a story about an old man building a boat, loading it with animals, and floating for forty days in floodwaters. Suddenly I could see the parallels to my life as a widow.

It begins in Genesis 6

God warned Noah that the people were corrupt and that he intended to destroy the earth and everyone living there. However, God saw Noah as a righteous man and made provisions for him and his family. Noah was instructed to build an ark and was provided specific blueprints for the construction of it. When the destruction and loss occurred, they would be protected.

A couple of years before my husband’s illness and death we had refinanced our home and used the equity to invest in new windows, roof, and siding. It is my firm belief that God foresaw the “destruction and loss“ that would follow and He laid those plans on my husband‘s heart so I wouldn’t have to worry about it. What a relief it has been for me to know my home is efficient and safe.

The story continues with Noah loading his family into the ark along with all the animals. The springs burst open and the rains came down filling the earth with water like a bathtub. Devastation like no man had ever seen or felt consumed the whole earth. And the world as mankind knew it was about to change.

Death brings about so many unexpected changes.

I had no idea how my world was going to change when my husband died. My mind never imagined all the heartache and pain that would consume my heart. The darkness of grief was unbearable at times. The world I once knew and loved became a memory.

Even in the darkest of times, there is hope!

...Then the Lord shut him in.
Genesis 7:16 (NIV)

God shut Noah in the ark to keep him safe from His coming judgment. In Christ, likewise, we have been offered an Ark of Salvation. We are “shut in“ when we profess our faith in Him and sealed with the Holy Spirit. Sin no longer separates us from God. Being justified by the blood of Jesus, we will be saved from the coming wrath of God. Hallelujah!

I used to think the flood only lasted forty days and nights. But for me hundred and ten days following that, the earth remained flooded. The family of Noah must have thought God forgot about them. Were they destined to live on their houseboat for the rest of their days?

Grief has a way of making us wonder if the pain will ever go away; if we will ever enjoy life again. It’s a merciless master. The struggles seem more than we can bear and we wonder if God has forgotten us.

But God remembered Noah...
Genesis 8:1 (NIV)

God set the ark on a mountaintop and sent a great wind over the earth. Over the next four months, the waters slowly receded. Finally, after more than a year, Noah and his family were able to step out onto dry land.

Oh, this journey through widowhood does not end because the funeral is over. It is a long, very long journey to healing. Just as it took time for the waters to recede, our hearts need time to heal but healing does come. Occasionally I leaf through my journal. As hard as it is to relive memories of my husband’s illness and death, there‘s also comfort in being able to see how much my heart has healed.

God didn’t forget me and he hasn’t forgotten you, my dear sister. Just as Noah trusted the Lord for his provision and timing, I urge you to do the same. We will step out onto dry land again!

Lord, I pray that we will be as faithful as Noah to trust and obey You when things don’t make sense. Thank You that as believers we are justified and found righteous in Your sight. Please remind us daily that nothing can separate us from Your love and that we have not been forgotten. Hold us close until we step out onto “dry land” again!