By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

Like Noah, we are constructing a family “ark” to save our loved ones from addictions, godless teachings, and destructive lifestyles. Piece by piece, we painstakingly laminate each “board” to the next, hoping that our care and diligence will safeguard our families.

But look closely at the seams of our ark. The gopher wood planks don’t dovetail perfectly, do they? If the old tub floats at all, it will be a miracle!

That’s when the Master Builder takes us aside and reassures us with a lesson in spiritual engineering.

Jesus explains that an ark’s buoyancy is dependent upon our interaction with HIM as we fit each board and drive every peg. Christ guarantees that HIS ark will float. God’s grace seals every seam. His mercy determines the ark’s seaworthiness — not our frantic diligence.

Have faith in HIS craftsmanship. His boat will float and save our households, too.

Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. (Proverbs 14:26)