IT WASN'T RAINING WHEN NOAH BUILT THE ARK
No Estaba Lloviendo Cuando Noé Construyó El Arca
By Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Saturday, October 1, 2011
This is one of the many varieties of chiles that grow in the hot sun of New Mexico. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb]
My husband and I were paying our bill at a local restaurant when a young man walked in wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He asked for a job application. When the manager of the restaurant handed him the form, he then asked for a pen with which to fill it out.
The manager eyed him suspiciously as she responded, "You want to apply for a job, but you didn't bring a pen?"
He shook his head and replied, "No, sorry."
My husband and I knew that the young man had bungled his opportunity to obtain a job even before he filled out the application. He had already told the manager that he didn't plan ahead. She knew that he would not be ready to serve customers any better than he was prepared to fill out the job application. He wasn't a forward thinker.
A fireplace must first be prepared before one can build a fire in it. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb]
Planning ahead is important in every aspect of life from the simple task of building a fire in a fireplace to that of baking bread or preparing a meal.
Native Americans use an orno, or traditional adobe oven, such as this one, for baking bread. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb]
Autumn is the season when people prepare food for use in the winter. For those that planted crops, autumn is a time of harvest. Even those that have not planted are buying their produce at this time. Canning and the preparation of jelly are just a few of the ways that cooks and homemakers do this.
Here in New Mexico, autumnal preparation includes the appearance of chili roasters outside supermarkets, produce markets, and even an occasional restaurant, as in the photo below. It is unusual to see a chile roaster without several people standing around, inhaling the piquant aroma that fills the air on such an occasion.
The young man that was roasting these chiles chose to absent himself from the photo, but he left his tongs hanging on the side of the roaster. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb]
Why roast chiles? In the same way that you wouldn't put raw tomatoes in the freezer, you don't freeze uncooked chiles, either. The best way to bring out the flavor before freezing them is to roast them. Then they are ready for addition to omelets, soups, stews, salsa, and cheese for queso ("kay'-soh", cheese) dips.
The best-known example of preparation is that of Noah as he listened to God telling him of the coming rain and resulting flood. (See Genesis 6:5 through 8:22 for the entire story.) God told Noah to build an ark, the likes of which had never been seen. God even gave Noah the measurements for the ark. The amazing part of this account is that there were no clouds in the sky when Noah began to build the ark. Noah began construction on dry land away from water.
When we freeze or can food, make jelly, or roast chiles, we do it with the certain knowledge that winter is coming. However, the flood that God predicted was not an expected seasonal event. Noah had to trust God and act on faith, according to Hebrews 11:7, which says, "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." (New King James Version) [See the Spanish translation below]
The definition of faith is that of belief in something for which there is no evidence.
If you can see it, touch it, or predict it based on past experience, then faith is not a factor. Hebrews 11:1 defines "faith" this way: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (New King James Version) [See the Spanish translation below]
To return to the example of the young man applying for a job, if he had possessed faith that he would obtain the job then he would have not only brought a pen, but he would also have dressed appropriately for the interview. In modern terms, we would say that he did not "put feet to his faith."
Is there something that you are trusting God for but that you do not see? Are you trusting God to provide each month's rent? Are you believing for a scholarship in order to attend college?
What can you do to demonstrate your faith? For rent, try putting aside some money from each paycheck instead of waiting to take all of it from the last paycheck before the rent is due. In the case of the scholarship, start studying for one of the courses that you know you must take, such as reviewing grammar rules or working math problems. Prepare for the answer to your prayers before you see any evidence of that response.
Plan ahead. After all, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (New King James Version)
Hebreos 11:1 "Es, pues, la fe la certeza de lo que se espera, la convicción de lo que no se ve." (Reina-Valera 1960)
Hebrews 11:7 "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." (New King James Version)
Hebreos 11:7 "Por la fe Noé, cuando fue advertido por Dios acerca de cosas que aún no se veían, con temor preparó el arca en que su casa se salvase; y por esa fe condenó al mundo, y fue hecho heredero de la justicia que viene por la fe." (Reina-Valera 1960)
A pumpkin, plants, flowers, and chiles surround this fireplace. Autumn is in full swing in New Mexico. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb]
