April Newsletter

What would you do if one morning while having devotions with the Lord, He spoke to you as clearly as you had ever heard His voice and said go out into the front yard of your house and dig a hole? I don't know about you, but I'd probably shake my head, shrug my shoulders and move on with my day. But then the voice (HIS VOICE) persisted- "Go out into your front yard and dig a hole". How long could you ignore His word to you? Some, maybe for the rest of their lives. Others, a while, but for some, they might just be intrigued enough to ask, "What kind of hole, how big and deep do you want it and for how long do you want me to dig?" Maybe another question you'd want God to answer is, "What about the neighbors?"

The second what- what would you do if God asked you to dig that hole and you asked Him all your questions of where, what, and how, AND He did not give you an answer? He just reiterated again, "Dig." So you start digging, and with gusto at first. I mean, you have a calling, a purpose, a mission. But the ground is pretty hard. I don't know if you've ever dug a hole before but it is not easy. But you struggle through, shovel of dirt by shove of dirt, because there must be a good reason God has asked you to dig that hole. As you slowly make progress, you check in with God and ask, "How am I doing? What's the hole going to be used for? What am I going to find?" But God doesn't really say much, only to tell you how well you are digging. Wait, did God say, "Well"? Am I digging a well to save the whole town from dehydration? How refreshing to be in God's service.

The digging is getting more difficult. Your wife now thinks you're crazy, your kids don't want to help with the "fun project" anymore and your neighbors are calling the police. Furthermore, "friends" are coming out to see what you are doing and you have to endure all their snarky comments like, "Find any oil yet?" or "Have you reached China yet?"

As you dig and dig, day after day, month after month, God keeps encouraging you with what a fine job you are doing. But you don't pay too much attention. The comments and jokes take their toll on your confidence in what you heard God "SAY". Now you start to wonder if this is some cruel military prank where a commanding officer tells you to dig a hole and when you're done to fill it back up. You're very confused by all of this and yet God says to keep digging and that you're doing such great work.

Just what is my point with the hole digging story? If my math is right (not my strong suit), Noah spent 120 years building an Ark that he had no idea what it was to be used for. Remember, when this was happening, the world had not seen rain, yet God said there would be a flood and that he should get started.

We easily and sometimes casually read those old stories in the Bible and move on to the next without even stopping to think about them. Noah, in front of God and everybody, set up scaffolding, cut lumber (by hand I might add), nailed or "tarred" the boards together, all the while wondering. But, he just did it, did what God said to do.

It all worked out in the few moments it takes to read that passage. But Noah didn't know the ending- he just trusted God to do as he was told, and he was saved. If God is telling you to "dig a hole" just dig and let Him take care of the rest.