Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 298 – Build your Boat

God has stirred your heart. He is asking you to build your ark, your boat. The vision He has entrusted to you will not leave you alone. Rightly so. A God-given calling often persists quietly until it is acted upon.

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” – Hebrews 11:7

As you give substance to your vision, you are bounded not by panic, but by Holy Fear. The Greek term used in Hebrews 11:7 (eulabeia), conveys reverence, devout caution, and serious attentiveness rather than anxiety. We heed God’s prompting with sober respect.

From a business perspective, this is deeply countercultural. Most organisations react. Few prepare. Many wait for market signals, donor confirmation, or external validation before acting. Yet faithful leadership often requires building before applause, investing before recognition, and stewarding resources before the need becomes obvious.

For those of us engaged in regenerative work, this principle is especially relevant. We test soils before the orchard is planted. We build governance before funding scales. We nurture relationships before partnerships are publicly visible. To outsiders, it can look premature. In reality, it is reverent stewardship.

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” – 1 Corinthians 4:2

Two friends this week, both readers of this devotion, challenged me to get back to focus on building the boat of ReGen, not to get distracted by the comings and goings in the city where I live. Thank you to you both, you know who you are. I bet Noah had to fight those distractions as well while he, too, built in obedience to what was not yet seen. 

“Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah.
It makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.” Rumi

Your neighbour may not understand your preparation. Your stakeholders may not yet see the horizon. That’s ok, obedience is not a popularity contest. Live in resolution, not regret. Get the timber, grab your adze. It is time for you to restart the adventure. 

The Master Shipwright, our Lord God, is right beside you. Let reverence be the tiller that guides your course. I’ll see you sailing on the Waters of Life.

Prayer

Lord God, Master Shipwright,
You who see the end from the beginning, grant me holy fear that is rooted in reverence and not in anxiety. Strengthen my hands to build what You have entrusted to me, with faithfulness, patience, and wisdom. May my leadership be marked by stewardship, my decisions by discernment, and my work by quiet obedience to You.

In Christ, who is both our foundation and our captain,

Amen