I was eating lunch at my Grandpa and Grandmas house at a 6 foot distance from where they sat at the table. Grandma had me set up in the laundry room, several feet from the kitchen table, where we found the top of a freezer and a bar stool make a fine place to sit, eat, and converse about the current affairs of the world. As the COVID-19 situation continues to change what we find familiar, we have to adjust, adapt, and actively give considerations to others in an effort to protect us all. During discussions surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, I thought of Noah. At the 50 year mark I wonder if he thought, “You know God, I've been building this ark for a while now and I hadn’t seen a drop of rain. What’s really good Father, are you coming through with those promises or what? “ Today, we are so used 2 day shipments and immediate gratification in everything, that Noah’s patient steadfast faith seems more fairy tale or hyperbole, than a real Herculean journey of an Old Testament Saint. But make no mistake, through faith in action, Noah proves to be a giant and worthy of our study.
Noah didn’t just hear from God one day about building an ark and then start immediately. We have a history of Noah walking with God before God warns him about the flood and gives saving instructions. We are introduced to Noah after first getting an illustration of the rampant evil in the world. There is a stark contrast between Noah and the people of this world. God found favor in him and set him apart from the others. At the end of Genesis Chapter 5 and beginning of Chapter 6 we learn that Noah walked with God, meaning he had been carrying on a relationship with God, which means Noah had faith, because without faith you cannot walk with God. (Hebrews 11:6)
There is another flood coming, that doesn’t come from rain clouds, springs, or tsunamis. This flood wouldn’t be of water, but would cleanse this sinful world and make an every lasting atonement. This flood would be made of the blood of Jesus as he was crucified on hill over 2000 years ago. The source of this flood would flow from the hands, feet, side and head of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the son of God, 2nd person of the Trinity, and our personal Lord and Savior. The work he completed on that cross provided the only way to be reconciled to the one Holy God who created all. God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. Will you take that step today and allow Jesus to be the Lord of your life? Recognize yourself as a sinner in need of salvation and put your trust in Christ. Only Christ has the power to save you. He can transform your heart and mind to yield to Him, and love this world the ways He did.
It seemed random to think of Noah amidst unrelated conversations about work and this health crisis, but what I could’ve dismissed as random, God saw purpose. I often question, “Is this just random thoughts in my head, or is the Holy Spirit at work?” When those thoughts jive with the Word of God, it’s best to tune in, if I’m not sure, I test the thoughts with the Word. Trust in the Lord, read His word, and continually pray to stay in tune to the Spirit and take those next steps. God speaks to us through his Word and as we read it, His Spirit gauges and refines our thoughts. Pastor Keith Wagner married my wife and I. I can remember many of his sermons from well over a decade ago and his voice is still echoing, “Don’t quench the Spirit”. Thinking about Noah at this moment is not random at all, the Spirit is at work. The Lord is looking to teach me something. “When I get the lesson, I get a blessing!” It is reassuring and I have no doubts that the Holy Spirit was gently stirring up the soil of my crowded mind, making rows and planting a seed!