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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Women in the Ark ~ A Lesson in Prayer and Preparedness


"But with thee will I establish my covenant;
and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons,
and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee."
~ Genesis 5:18


The women in the ark have a special place in my heart as the unsung heroines of the Bible. What can we say about them that is actually written? We can focus on this truth, these women were believers or they would not have been spared from the flood.

God warned them of the trials that would be coming. They would be boarding an ark and beginning life anew (from scratch!)! What do you think they did until that final and fatal moment? My guess is that they prepared diligently with their hands and prayed with all their hearts. They learned skills. They were virtuous women. They were of the lineage that could have inspired the Proverbs 31 woman!

The Dove Returning to the Ark (Used with Permission) by Mary Jane Q Cross

They undoubtedly possessed (or acquired from older women like Noah's wife), knowledge in sewing, gardening, animal husbandry and food preservation. They must have been educated in the uses of herbs and plants for medicinal purposes. Let us not forget the art of making oil from olives, creating pottery for dishes and weaving for clothing.  These women must have been intelligent and skilled for didn't their very lives and loved one's depend upon it for survival?



Let us glean what we can from these godly women. Though little is said, much is known! Hard times were on the way and they were prepared. And we, dear reader, are placed in a similar position. Our future as His return comes closer, is actually likened unto the days of Noah and we are warned of intense times by the Master himself:

"But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 
~ Matthew 24:37-39
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." 
~ Matthew 24:7-8 (The list goes on...)
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 
~ 2 Timothy 3:1-7


No matter now "near" we think His coming is, these signs are already present in some degree.


Are we prepared both spiritually and physically? Daily we hear of natural disasters, heartbreaking sickness, disturbing criminal behavior, tragedies, acts of terror, immorality, high rates of unemployment and so forth. Are we grounded in the Scriptures and diligent in prayer to stand strong when calamaties come and test our faith? Are we prepared in a practical sense to some extent in our homes (i.e., at least a few week's supply of food and water, a first aid kit with basic knowledge of application, alternative sources of cooking and washing in case of emergency, and so forth)?

The Dove is Home with Us (Used with Permission) by Mary Jane Q Cross

In recent history, we can learn from the matriarchs who lived during the Great Depression. Many of the women were living modern lives at that point, relying on the cities and stores to provide their needs. But, when hard times came, they were able to put their tucked away skills to use. They planted victory gardens, preserved the bounty, brought small live-stock back into their decorative yards, fashioned clothing for their children out of feed sacks, and patched, scrimped, remade and repurposed. We don't know what the future holds for any of us but the woman who is prayerful, prepared, skilled and works willingly with her hands, "has no fear for her household" (Proverbs 31:21 NIV).

"She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come."
~ Proverbs 31:24 NIV

Noah's Daughter-in-Law in the Dovecote (Used with Permission) by Mary Jane Q Cross

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Dear reader, my purpose is not to scare you but to inspire you to embrace the lost arts and skills of the homemaker (and to develop a "sound mind"). We never know when this knowledge may prove useful and be a blessing to our loved one's in these uncertain times. I am not saying to abandon your peaceful lifestyle and prepare yourself into a frenzy, but to take time in those little moments to learn (or do things differently). Perhaps, instead of watching a trivial television show, watch a historical reenactment and glean the old ways. Instead of picking up that novel in your spare time, dive into a do-it-yourself book.  Instead of planting a flower garden, plant a medicinal herb garden. Instead of adding more clothing to your closet, add more food into your pantry. Or make an effort to learn one new skill every year such as canning, fermenting and other methods of food preservation, gardening, sewing, natural healing and so forth. This can all be done gently and sensibly, if done purposefully and prayerfully.

"The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge..."
~ Proverbs 18:15a

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making MondaysModest Mom Monday'sMonday's MusingsMake Your Home Sing MondayGood Morning Mondays,  The ScoopTitus 2sdaysTitus 2 TuesdaysRoses of InspirationTuesdays with a TwistRaising HomemakersWise Woman Link UpHomestead Blog Hop Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and ConversationHomemaking ThursdaysHome Sweet HomeOur Simple HomesteadFrom the Farm Blog HopFront Porch Friday Blog HopAwesome Life Friday Link UpFive Star Frou Frou FridaySimply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.  This article has been adapted from our original one here. Also, the paintings by Mary Jane Q. Cross in this post have been fingerprinted! To hear more about her incredible art, visit our interview {here}.

24 comments:

  1. Great post, JES! It does seem that we are at the brink of change in the status quo, and it would certainly behoove us to at least learn a few basics that would aid our resourcefulness if our situations changed. Love the Edwardian series - I watched them on YouTube a few months ago. Have you seen Tales From Green Valley? They're good, too.
    Have a great rest of the week!

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    1. Hi there! No, I haven't heard of Tales of Green Valley. I will definitely check that out! Thank you for sharing :)

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  2. I enjoyed this post very much! I never thought about the women in the ark. We need to encourage the homesteading arts!

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    1. Oh, thank you for the encouragement Dicky! I have a "thing" for the women in the ark for some reason... Noah's ark in general is a favorite subject of mine. Thank you for sharing :)

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    2. Thank you so much JES for such a timely post! I love all of the "farm" series from BBC too."Tales from the green valley" is my absolute favourite. You can view the many available historic re enactment series in full on YouTube. The "Tudor Monastry farm" is also worth checking out.

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    3. Thank you KayeB for taking the time to share! I will check those out for sure! ;)

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  3. So many skills have been put by the wayside from just a few generations before us. You are absolutely right Jes. We need to be in prayer and also preparing and re-learning skills that are being lost in the generations. AND teaching them to our young. Great post as always.

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    1. Thank you for sharing! Yes, teaching the next generation is so important. If calamity came, and internet was unavailable, I fear many would have a difficult time whereas many of the Depression era women grew up on farms and had that wisdom to fall back on....

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  4. Thank you, my sweetest JES for sharing such an edifying post, I'm amazed by your words, your quotes and the pictures you've choosen, always so fascinating and meaningful !
    Thank you with all my heart, dearie,
    have a blessed remainder of your week
    with love and gratitude
    Dany

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    1. Thank you Dany for sharing! I hope this was some "food for thought" if anything :)

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  5. Wonderful post. Such timely and wise information, but then, when has God's Word not been timely and wise?

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    1. Very true Joy! Thank you for taking the time to comment here today :)

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  6. Amen! We DO need to be prepared!
    Thank you for this encouragement! (coming from Raising Homemakers Linkup)
    Sarah (www.sarahefrazer.com)

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  7. Thank you, JES, for laying out preparedness in a sensible and practical manner!:) And for giving it wise biblical application.

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    1. I really appreciate the encouragement Farmlife Chick! Thank you for taking the time to comment today! I hope all is well in your household! :)

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  8. It is interesting to read this as not long ago a sweet older lady encouraged me along this path and in teaching my children these skills from the time they are young. She recommended the Prepare and Pray curriculum and the Blessed Assurance curriculum from Overcomers Books and Supplies - when I finished reading your post I found the note she wrote with these recommendations for us city slicker type mommies who are still shocked to know that corn is not a vegetable. I am now going to check this out. Pray for me as I learn to be diligent in teaching them - will you?

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    1. Yes, yes! And thank you for sharing those curriculums... I have never heard of them and would love to look further into them. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment today. ~~ From a fellow ex-city slicker type too! {There is hope!!!} :)

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  9. Such precious words of wisdom here, JES! I loved the thoughts you presented and had never really focused on the women in that ark...my thoughts always go to Noah. But, you are so right in all you said. God help us to use the time of peace to prepare for the time of war. We don't know what may lie ahead of us, but one thing we know....God will never leave us nor forsake us, and He will see us through, as we do all we can to be ready and we put our trust in Him. Thank you for this edifying, timely post.

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    1. So very true Cheryl! Thank you for taking the time to share this today! :)

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  10. :) Jes - thank you for this post, so timely! And something that gave me encouragement in our season of trial... blessings to you and again - thank you!

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to visit and encourage here today Andi! I appreciate hearing from the other side of the screen! :)

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  11. P.S - I have used Prepare and Pray and Blessed Assurance in our homeschooling years - and loved them both! In fact I have often thought to repurchase them for our shelves and continued sharpening of skills. :)

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    1. Wow, the reviews seem to be very good for this curriculum. I can't believe I have never heard of it. Thank you for sharing this!

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