Imagine being the only righteous person in a wicked, corrupt society. I guess you wouldn't have a lot of friends! Noah walked faithfully with God and this was the reason he and his family were chosen to be saved from a devastating flood that would wipe out the rest of mankind.
It must have come as quite a surprise to Noah to know that God had chosen him for the task of building an ark! I wonder if he felt up to the job, as at this time, he was more than 500 years old!
"This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them." Noah did everything just as God commanded him."
Genesis 6:9-22 NIV
God's instructions were very clear and although it must have seemed like an enormous job for Noah to take on, even with help from his sons, faith in the Architect allowed him to commence building and in fact complete the task exactly as specified! I'm sure the ark was built in stages, felling trees, preparing the timber, cutting it to size, shaping and joining, measuring and waterproofing. Often when we look at a particular task before us, it can seem insurmountable but breaking it down into stages and daily relying on God, helps us to get through. How did such an old man build such a huge boat? We can be sure that Noah's faith in God's help and provision spurred him on. He was commissioned to do it, so there was no question of abandoning the project half way. God was faithful in giving Noah all the wisdom, skills, materials and energy to build an ark and Noah was faithful in working over a number of years to complete the job. This was despite the fact that Noah could not have understood the concept of a flood destroying everything, as up to this time, it had not even rained! Now that's a great picture of faith!
"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith." Hebrews 11:7 NIV
Do you have a task that seems insurmountable at the moment? Have you asked God to help you through each step? He is interested in all the details of our lives and all that is required is our faith.
"...Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.""
Matthew 17:20 NIV
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the things You have highlighted to us today as we have read this familiar passage from Genesis. So often we can feel overwhelmed by what we face as we wake up each morning but we have You, our faithful God, with us always and You want us to come in faith to You and ask for help. Help us to remember that as Your children: "we live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV
As I begin a new day with You, help me to think of Noah as he worked faithfully on the ark day after day, month after month and year after year. Help me in whatever happens today to remember:
"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 NIV
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
YOU ARE READING
Light and Life for Today
Non-FictionA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
