Genesis 8-10 / Matthew 4:12-25 / Psalm 4 / Proverbs 1:20-23
Today’s readings were so good! I love history, so the account of Noah preparing to exit the ark after about a year onboard is so interesting to me.
When I read the Bible, I try to put myself in the place of those I’m reading about, and I started to feel a little anxious thinking about Noah, his wife, his sons and daughters-in-law, and all those animals together on a boat in the water for a YEAR. Whew. If I were Noah, I may have been going a little stir crazy by the time God told me to leave the boat.
I don’t know that I would have waited for God to tell me to leave. I think I would have been at that window every day and testing the door to see if it would budge (remember, Genesis says God shut Noah, his family and all the animals into the ark).
But Noah waited. I guess he was used to listening to and obeying God, even when it made him unpopular. Imagine being a man who was talking about a flood when no one knew what that was. I’m sure they thought he was super weird! Until it started to rain…
After Noah and his family left the ark, God made them and all of us a promise – never to destroy the earth again with a flood.
And that makes me think of a verse I found in Psalm 4. Verse 3 states, “The LORD set apart the godly for Himself. The LORD will answer when I call to Him.”
That’s exactly what God did by sharing His plans with Noah; He set the godly apart for Himself.
And we can be assured that if we are His, we are also set apart and that He will answer us when we call to Him (pray). The answers we receive may not be what we expected, but we can know that He loves us and that He will answer according to what He knows is best for us and according to what will bring Him glory.
Let’s never forget that our lives are for the purpose of pointing to Him.
Today, as you’re beginning your week, keep in mind that God is “remembering” you as He did Noah (see Genesis 8:1). Turn your heart to Him, say a prayer for our nation and our leaders as we seek God’s will and purpose, and have a blessed week!
