Recovering Our Lost Opportunities

The story about the rescue of Noah, his family and all that were with him in the ark is a testament to the fact that when God begins a journey with a man, He will not abandon him either half way or at any point in the course of the journey. God will surely remember you where He has kept you! (Genesis 7:1, 16). 

God’s ‘remembrance’ is not an indication that He has forgotten. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me” (Isaiah 49:15-16). 

“God remembered Noah” is an expression rendered as, “God turned His attention to Noah……” (Genesis 8:1 MSG). This also indicates, God was faithful to His promises to Noah (Genesis 6:17-18). Our God is not a covenant breaker. He is a constant covenant keeper. Since He started the journey with us this year, He will keep us till the end of this pandemic and beyond.

A. What God Can Do
I believe it will never take God hours, weeks or months to give the world solution to Covid-19, when the appointed time comes. Just the way He did with the flood, God can:

• Send a wind to blow Coronavirus away -V.1. Cf. Exodus 10:19
• Stop the virus from spreading or multiplying- V.2
• Flatten the curve steadily- V. 3
• Bring us to a complete rest from Covid-19- V.4
• Bring us to a fresh start, where opportunities will be visible again-V.5

B. It Seems Like Lost Opportunities
There were great expectations and excitement when the year 2020 started. We didn’t see the pandemic coming. We didn’t know there will be lockdown. We never saw that there will be restriction of movement. We didn’t know wearing nose mask will be part of our dress code. It’s unbelievable that churches have not been able to gather for worship as usual, in their beautiful Cathedrals. 

There are divergent opinions as to the exact total number of days Noah and his family spent in the ark and their period of waiting before resuming normal activities again. But most Biblical scholars proposed nothing less than 370 days, (about a year by Jewish calendar). If we are to go just by textual account:

• 40 days and 40 nights of rain (Genesis 7:4, 17)
• 150 days of flood (Genesis 7: 24; 8:8)
• Another 40 days before Noah opened the window (Genesis 8:6)
• 7 days of waiting before sending another dove from the ark (Genesis 8:10)
• Another 7 days of waiting before sending the dove out again (Genesis 8:12)
• If we include the first 40days as part of the 150days, we have a total number of 204 days (about 6 or 7 months of uncertainties, restricted movement, no economic activities e.t.c)
• It was an experience of beginning life all over again when Noah disembarked from the ark.
• In all these, God has recovery plans for His children, which is predicated on meeting His requirements. 

C. Requirements for the Recovery of Your Lost Opportunities:

1. You Must Be Rightly Positioned to Hear the Voice of God-V. 15

-There is tendency to continue to focus on lost opportunities in retrospect and not rightly positioned to hear what God is saying about opportunities ahead.

-Some of us can’t hear God because there is so much noise around us.

-God must be saying something to you now, if you will listen.

-God will give you “very great insight” if you will listen (1 Kings 4:29).

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