“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” Genesis 7:1 KJV
Have you ever done something on blind faith? For me personally, that is really a tough concept. I am the type of person who makes lists, organizes plans far in advance, and appreciates order. As I have gotten older, I am learning to roll through the peaks and valleys of life but I work really hard, with a whole bunch of help from God, to let go and rely on his plans instead of my own.
Our Weekday Preschool at JCBC is a solid example of blind faith and how turning things over to God has provided something more enriching and full of life than the best made plans could have ever produced. For those who watched and wondered the past five years as we prayed, discussed, planned, and implemented the vision for our weekday program, we are happy to report that the “ark” that we built is full and thriving.
I read the following verse and immediately thought of our Weekday Preschool. “And Noah did what God told him to do, although it must have seemed very strange to all the people around, to build this great ark where there was no water for it to sail upon. And it was a long time, because this ship was so big, that Noah and his sons were at work building the ark, which God had told them to build, while the wicked people around wondered, and no doubt laughed at Noah for building a great ship where there was no sea.”
Over the years, there have been a group of church members who listened, prayerfully considered, waited, and followed God’s word to build our own JCBC preschool ark to house the hearts of children who are learning to love and grow with God within our walls. There were many times that we wondered if we were following the path that God wanted us to and relied on that “blind faith” to take us over the hurdles. He provided, just as we knew he would, and in a BIG way!
As we open our Weekday Preschool program next week, we are blessed beyond measure to welcome 133 students and 21 outstanding staff members who will be learning, growing, and worshipping together each day of the week. This year will be the third full year that our preschool has been open for business and we have been a FULL house each and every year. The students in the preschool are returning to a newly installed, safe and fun, playground that will benefit not only the weekday program but all of our JCBC children. Is that unlike the ark that Noah built? Build it and they will come…
The JCBC Weekday Preschool has become a refuge of sorts for families in our community to have a safe and loving environment for their children to grow with the love of God wrapped around them. Our preschool is an outreach, providing strong Christian teachers for students who may not otherwise hear the word of God in their lives. This is something of which, we can all be proud. As Shaun so aptly said in our Sunday sermon, “We are part of something safe here at JCBC.” I am guessing that is exactly how Noah and his family felt on the ark and I feel certain that is how our families that are part of our weekday program feel about JCBC as well.
So the next time you are scared to take that blind leap of faith, use Noah as your example and remember that God will not lead you astray. He will provide refuge and direction even when you are not certain where the ship you are on is headed. Please consider praying for our JCBC Weekday Preschool in the coming weeks. It is definitely an ark of sorts of which, we can ALL be proud.
Stephanie Powell
Weekday Preschool Council Chair
Johns Creek Baptist Church