Anna Moore

For my birthday this year my in-laws gifted me with two giant binders full of information on my maternal and paternal ancestors. The pages contain a diagram of my family tree followed by pages of information including newspaper clippings, photographs, burial sites, census information, military registrations, wedding announcements, obituaries, and other tidbits on various relatives the researcher was able to compile for this project.  

I have loved learning about the people who lived long before me and who they were. For example, my 6x great grandfather on my mom’s father’s side was a delegate for Kentucky’s state constitutional convention in 1792, and one of the first judges for the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Relatives on my father’s mother’s side immigrated from Germany aboard a ship to Philadelphia. I would have never known.  

While learning about accomplishments, family names, and where my ancestors lived, I also got to read the obituary of my mom’s father who died when she was 8 years old, and whom I never knew. My dad got to see a family portrait of the man whose rifle he owns. 

This gift is one to be treasured and has been fascinating to scour through. It’s made me think a lot about context and purpose. God has given each of us a time and place in His grand story of creation, and He graciously invites us into His grand story of redemption.

Our time and context is now. It’s up to us what we do with it, but I feel there’s an urgency with our time because life is short and not everyone has a growing relationship with Jesus.

Learning from the past

If we look at the story of the Bible, we can learn about where we came from and what took place to get us to where we are today. 

Long before my ancestors boarded their ship to the New World, Noah and his family secured themselves up inside the huge ark that would carry them to safety. Meanwhile, everyone and everything else perished outside. It could be that Noah heard the screams of his neighbors and people he never knew, along with wails from animals and cracking of earth as the water consumed the globe. Maybe people begged desperately for Noah to open the doors on the ark and rescue them.

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.” (Genesis 7:11, emphasis mine)

This wasn’t a peaceful ride on a boat for Noah and his family like some children’s books and nurseries may illustrate. This was a great flood that spread across the world and reached heights so high that mountains were covered and all birds that were not inside the ark died. This was a catastrophic global event in history where God showed His might and His judgment and all but one human family died as a result.  

We know that through Noah’s lineage came the promised seed of Eve who would save the world by bringing us to the Father. And we know that this Jesus is coming back soon (Revelation 22:20). How soon, we don’t know.

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37–39

Placed for a purpose

If we knew Jesus was coming back in 10 years, what would we do? How would the Church react? Would we accept the “eating and drinking” and living as the world does or would we give ourselves to the cause of Christ in hopes that fewer would perish?

While we can’t actually save the ones who are perishing–we can’t “pull them into the boat”–we can point the people in our lives and those we encounter to Christ our Savior. 

We can tell our neighbors and family members about God’s grand story and how they are invited into it. 

We can speak the Word of God, proclaiming the Good News (Romans 10:14-17) that’s meant to be shared and meant to save. 

We can pray fervently for revival and souls won to Christ. 

We can shepherd and disciple our children, grandchildren, and others He puts in our lives, teaching His commands and all we have observed in His Word. We are obligated to pour into generations after us and be unashamed of the Gospel.

We can go and make disciples wherever the Lord sends us (Matthew 28:19-20).

We can pray for boldness and strength as God builds His Kingdom. Likewise, we can be emboldened by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of the Good News.

We can put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) daily and stand ready to give a defense of the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15).

We can be ambassadors for Christ, urging reconciliation with God. Lord, send revival!

And, we can keep our eyes Heavenward as we help those around us, and wait with anticipation of Christ’s triumphant return.

Let’s get to work, for the Lord has placed us in such a time (and such a place) as this.

How beautiful on the mountains

    are the feet of those who bring good news,

who proclaim peace,

    who bring good tidings,

    who proclaim salvation,

who say to Zion,

    “Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:7

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

All scripture references are from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.

If you would like to subscribe to my new quarterly newsletter, Magnify, please add your email address here.