Day 3

Day 3

The Ark Encounter was incredible - truly a sight to behold.  The sheer magnitude of its size is awe inspiring and thought provoking.  Great care was taken to maintain adherence to what Scripture clearly states regarding the ark and the global flood, while artistic license was taken to show what could have been possible considering the technology and inventions available to Noah during his time.  Because some translations don’t agree on the interpretation of Biblical units of measure, whenever there could have been a discrepancy in measurements regarding the ark the Ark Encounter went with what they termed “the worst case scenario” - clearly portraying, for example, the largest number of animals fitting in the smallest amount of space (along with several other scenarios).  I especially appreciated this approach as I feel it speaks directly to the skeptics who try to pick apart the ark and a global flood with cries of “It’s not possible!”  We also marveled at the number of years God allowed Noah to live on the earth — he was 500 before he had his first son!  Can you imagine what living for 950 years does for one’s perspective on life?  I theorized that there wouldn’t be quite the “hurry up” mentality of our current day.  In a generational cycle of that length, there would be time enough to do many, many things so why hurry?  A husband and wife could have children for possibly hundreds of years.  And those who trusted in God and walked with Him in righteousness would have five to nine centuries to witness His goodness and mercy, trace His hand of kindness, and grow in their personal faith.  Many of the scenes, plaques, and pictures we saw there brought answers to some long-seated questions I’d had regarding this beloved Bible story.  But at the end of the day, the ark and the flood still require faith.  Faith that God is who He says He is, did what He said He would, and will do what He said He will do (or won’t do, as in the case of another global flood!) The Bible tells us what we need to know, but there are still many questions left unanswered regarding the flood and the ark.  And that is where faith comes in.  Scripture takes us where we need to go and faith fills in the rest.  In the meantime, we added a few more questions to our “questions to ask God in heaven” list.

After returning from the ark, we took the kids out to the pool (ha!) to swim and then we enjoyed some dinner outdoors and a campfire with smores.  Tomorrow morning we’ll hit the trail again, St. Louis bound!