“ By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

He preached for 120 years, and yet no one was converted. There is no doubt, as an evangelist, Noah was a good carpenter.

Absolutely no one besides the members of his direct family (wife, sons, and daughters-in-law) went into the ark. If Noah had had a human administrator in his “spiritual business,” he would certainly have fired him.

You could say, and it is true, that many men of God believed in Noah’s preaching, helped in the construction of the ark, and died before the Flood began. However, in the face of the stark results, when the Flood arrived, only Noah and his family entered the ark.

A disaster. A disaster? How much time are you willing to preach for one person you love to accept Christ and His salvation? The story of Noah is an example of the concern God has for the family. So much work for just one family to be saved. However, God commanded that the work be built. All divine hopes are summed up in the family.

I do not know if you are engaged, married, or thinking about getting married. However, think about this matter in this way: all God’s hopes are summed up in the family. To be more specific, all God’s hopes are summed up in your family.

You must do all that is possible so that your family (the one you have, the one you are forming, or the one you have formed) is worthy of that honor, that privilege, that responsibility. The best way of doing this is to pray every day and ask God to show you the path to take during that day. If He wants the results to be seen in 120 years, keep praying, keep crying out, keep asking, and keep working . . .

Your family (present or future) is worthy of all that effort and more. Do not have any doubts: God wants to give you the joy of a saved family. There is no ark. There are no animals. However, there continues to be human surrender and divine guidance so that things turn out according to the plans of Heaven, which are always better than ours.