The Boat

During a long drive home from my daughter's today, I had 7 hours to ponder the things I've been learning this week in my Bible study.  Thoughts swirled around in my head as I tried to imagine what it would have been like in the time of Noah.  I mean, how would it be if God told you to do something so outrageous, and told you that He was going to save only you and your family and a bunch of animals and wipe out all of the rest of  the life on earth?  We cannot even stand to think about the horrendous storms, flooding, and lives lost over on the East coast right now, let alone try to fathom such a devastating catastrophe as the great flood in Noah's time. Maybe some think this story is a metaphor, but I believe that every word of it is true.  It seems "easier" to think of it as a metaphor because then it doesn't seem quite so drastic.....some would say, "why would a good God do something like that?"  But when looked at in light of the WHOLE story of God, there are many truths to be found and applied in this absolutely amazing account in the Bible. In fact, this story points to the most essential truth to our faith as Christians.  This story points to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in more ways than I had known before today!

So.....I'm driving along the interstate and I'm thinking about Noah.  What made Noah so different from all of the other people in the world at the time?  Why did God choose to save only him and his family?  And why would God want to do such a drastic thing as the flood?  Genesis 6:5-6 says, the Lord saw how great the wickedness of man on earth had become...and He was grieved and His heart was filled with pain.  It's true, all of the evil in the world must still grieve God.....it's like how we feel when we see our kids making bad choices and the suffering it causes.  Sure, it angers and frustrates us, but mostly, it breaks our heart to see such hope dashed by careless decisions and rebellious acts.  God was greatly grieved.

Genesis 6:7 tells us that God decided to wipe mankind, whom He had created, off the face of the earth....men, animals, reptiles, and birds.  He was grieved that He had made them. Now, I don't think this means that things were beyond God's control, nor do I believe that God had hoped for something better but was unable to achieve it.  I believe He knew exactly what man would choose to do, but it still affected Him deeply.  

But Noah "found favor....he found grace...in the eyes of God". Gen. 6:8
Noah didn't EARN grace;  Noah FOUND grace in the eyes of God.

None of us can earn God's grace, but we all can find it.

Why did Noah find favor in the eyes of God?  Gen. 6:9 says that Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.  HE WALKED WITH GOD.
He was in step with the will of God...right?  I mean, when you walk with somebody, you are in step with them, not straying all over the place.  Noah followed God.  He walked so closely with God that He could see grace in the eyes of God.  The only way we can truly see grace in the eyes of God is if we are seeking it, and if we are staying close enough for Him to reveal it to us.  What stands between you and God?  What blocks the view of His FACE of GRACE?  I asked myself those questions as I drove along that long stretch of highway.....and I came up with lots of things.  Things that had mostly to do with selfishness.  MYSELF stands in the way between me and God's face of grace.  Either its selfish wants, or selfish things that I do that is blocking my view of His eyes.  God chose Noah....why has He chosen me?  I am not like Noah in any shape or form. My list of faults is too long to count, and just when I finally have victory over one thing, another thing trips me up.  What makes me different than anyone else? Why does He love ME?

 Isn't it true that we all are unworthy of His grace? What makes this world different from the world back in Noah's time?  I mean, it's still full of evil.

I ponder these questions as I am driving along, and I KNOW the answer..  It is one Word.  THE WORD.  JESUS. I have been saved only because of Jesus. Yes, it's true that we all are unworthy of God's grace. But because of Christ's death on the Cross, I have been saved by His grace. Jesus' death took the place of the death that we all deserve, so that we could be saved. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this, not from yourselves, it is the gift of God....Ephesians 2:8


Then the thought crosses my mind that the Ark was a housing for the saved.  The Ark separated Noah and his family from all of the rest of the life on earth. They were separated from death because of their faith.  They were literally encased in the protection of God. Being in the Ark is like BEING IN CHRIST!  

God told Noah exactly how to build the Ark.  The dimensions, how to seal it from the water, what supplies to take.....the whole deal.  Down to the last detail.  And Noah did not question God.  He did exactly what God told him to do.  Why?  Because he wanted to be saved?  Probably.  But he did it all because HE TRUSTED GOD.  Noah was saved because he trusted God's promise to save him. Noah had faith. Noah was housed in the boat of protection, even when the flood of disaster wiped out everything on earth, because he belonged to God and he trusted God enough to do what He said. He was faithful to God and God was faithful to him. 

God tells us what to do in order to be saved as well.  It's all written down....every last detail. 

ARE YOU IN THE BOAT? If not, what is stopping you?  The door is still open....it's not too late.  What things are flooding the ground all around you right now?  Financial stress?  Illness?  Broken relationships?  Death? The guilt of sin?  What seems to be drowning you right now?  Are you having trouble keeping your head above water?  If so, will you consider taking that Hand that is reaching out for you?  Come in out of the rain!  Enter in to the eternal safe place in Christ, because He already paid the price for all of the sin on earth so that when we come to Him with all of our junk and admit that we are unworthy of His grace, we can leave our sin at the door.  By faith, we can enter in to His salvation and walk with Him.  The flood waters of difficult circumstances are still going to come, but instead of drowning, those who are in Christ Jesus will be saved.

It's far too late at night to tell you about the rest of the story, but please check back again, because some really cool things happened on the rest of my drive home!  I have more HOPE for you! G'night.....love to you!
Kara