COME

When my daughter was in elementary school, the car line of parents picking up their children at dismissal was always quite long and formed much earlier than one would think. One afternoon in particular, I remember sitting in the car line when a tornado warning was issued. With safety precautions in place, students could not be dismissed. Instead, a few staff members were hurriedly going car to car, urging parents and those waiting in the car line to ‘come’ inside with them, where it was safe.
After Hurricane Helene, many were left without power. For some, it was days. For others, the outage lasted weeks. But I remember someone who lived near town and got power back quickly posted an invitation to the community to ‘come’. We were still without power when I read the post, but we were fine. We had a gas cooktop and plenty of jugs of water. But my heart was so touched by this amazing gesture… that this genuine love and concern for others still existed. These people were saying, ‘come’. They were offering food, air conditioning, and warm showers.
This past week, as I read the story of Noah, I realized that God did not tell Noah to go and get on the ark. Instead, Genesis 7:1 details, “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark…” (KJV). God told Noah to ‘come’. When I tell someone to come, I want them to move toward me. So, it seems evident that if God used the word ‘come’, Noah was not going into an empty ark. He was going onto the ark, not only with his family and a bunch of animals, but with God.
Just as God provided for Noah, his family, and all the animals on the ark, He wants us to ‘come’ and find that shelter in Him. As I think of the use of the word ‘come’ in the Bible, Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28 immediately enters my mind. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (KJV). Our Lord invites us to come to Him… to find shelter, provision, peace, and rest in Him. Psalm 37:7 says, “Rest in the Lord…” (KJV). (In this verse, I note the word ‘in’.)
Friend, we don’t have to walk alone. Yes, there will still be troubles. David wrote in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…” (KJV). David walked through the valley, but he wasn’t afraid because God was with him. The storm was still happening around Noah, but He was safe because God was his refuge in the ark. So, today, no matter what we are facing, God wants us to ‘come’ to Him. He wants to be present in our lives. So instead of going our own way, let us ‘come’ to our Father.