If this was Facebook, I'd click NO LIKE

I hate the book of Job!  Its so hard for me to read through all the hardship and "listen" to the way the friends and even his wife treat Job.  Hard to see what God allows Job to suffer!  Job is not a book I'd sit down and read if given a choice, that is for sure.  But even so, each time I struggle through it, I realize that there is much to learn from Job.

In the Women of Faith Bible, the intro to the book of Job gives these encouraging words, "Bad things can happen to good people.  God does allow his people to undergo testing. But the book of Job reminds us that God is still in control.  Even in the middle of the most horrific circumstances life throws our way, we can tie a mental knot in our faith and hang on to our trust in God.  If we focus on his sovereignty and faithfulness, we can face any storm life has to offer and come through - scared and hurting perhaps - but victorious nonetheless. "

I'm hoping to remember Job and praying we'll be able to visualize that  knot holding everything together whenever struggles try to tear us apart.

Ark timeline

Length of the Flood. The following chart traces the events of the Flood.

Events of the Flood

Month	Day	Events	Number of Days
2	10	Noah enters ark; God shuts door.	7
2	17	Rains fall; waters rush from seas. Ark floats.	40
3	27	Rain stops. Flood rushing in and water still rising.	110
7	17	Ark touches bottom on high mountains. Water stops rising; stationary.	40
8	27	Waters settle 15 cubits.	34
10	1	Ark on dry ground. Noah waits.	40
11	11	Noah sends raven; waits.	7
11	18	Noah sends dove; it returns with olive leaf.	7
11	25	Noah sends dove; it does not return. Noah waits.	22
12	17	Water recedes.	14
1	1	Noah sees dry land; waits.	56
2	27	Noah commands all to abandon the ark. Total time on ark.	377

Richards, Larry ; Richards, Lawrence O.: The Teacher's Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1987, S. 42

Choices

Beginning to read the Bible, how impressive its been to see the pattern of choice. God made the 1st choice to create our world, to create the birds and fish, the animals, and in His own imagine - us! Then we (Eve, Adam, Cain, the "sons of God" and "daughters of men" ) made the choices that could have destroyed all that He had given.
Yet in His love, He continues to choose us. While each bad choice brought with it a consequence, our Lord still provided and protected ... even unto the days of Noah. God made a way for His creation to continue. He could have destroyed everything and everyone then started again, but He didn't (doesn't)... God's choice from the beginning is for us!