NOAH’S FAITH ABIDES IN HIS EVER FAITHFUL GOD
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“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” – Genesis 6:9 –
One of the great heroes of faith in the Bible is Noah. In his day, evil had so pervaded all mankind that there was no longer any hope… except for this one man. Noah found favor in the eyes of God. His faith to carry on is founded upon a deep love for his ever-faithful God.
“I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens.” – Genesis 6:17
The earth had become corrupt. The depravity of its people had caused them to think only evil in their hearts. God would judge the earth because of its rampant sin and wickedness. Yet He would deliver any who trust in Him.
Noah is called by the Lord to a monumental task… to build an ark… a seaworthy vessel that would save and protect all who came aboard. Over the course of nearly 120 years, Noah builds the ark to God’s exact specifications. His faith empowers him to carry on with this daunting task.
At God’s appointed time, Noah and his family enter the ark. The Lord brings to the ark one pair of every living creature and seven pairs of each clean animal to be saved from destruction. Then God closes the door of the ark to protect them all. Forty days and forty nights of rain flood the entire earth. Every living thing is destroyed.
“But God remembered Noah… and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” – Genesis 8:1
After nearly a year, the Lord beckons Noah and his family and all the animals to come out of the ark. God commands that they be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Noah builds an altar and worships this merciful God who had been their salvation.
“I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood.” – Genesis 9:11
A new beginning dawns for all the earth. The Lord makes a covenant, a promise, with Noah and all living creatures that never again will a flood destroy the earth. To seal this everlasting covenant, God sets a rainbow in the sky as a sign that He will forever be faithful to His pledge.
How did Noah find the faith to carry on when faced with…
♦ The formidable calling on his life? – In all the world, God chooses Noah…and Noah obeys the call of God. For he knows that his sovereign God will be with him every step of the way. God, in His great mercy, would save a remnant of His people through Noah and his family.
♦ Opposition from the enemy? – Noah is the chosen seed… the faithful one through whom God would one day bring His Son into the world, the Messiah… the hope of all mankind. The enemy wants nothing more than to destroy Noah’s royal lineage. Yet God protects Noah and his ancestral line.
♦ Condemnation from the world? – Noah is anointed by God for a heroic calling. He carries on with confidence and faith in his unseen God. Although Noah likely experiences ridicule and derision from the faithless people, he endeavors to open their eyes to the upcoming doom and destruction. Unless they turn to God, they have no hope to be saved.
♦ Doubts from within? – Noah surely wrestles with his own doubts and questions during the many years spent working on the ark. He waits for God’s sovereign plan to unfold. His absolute trust in the Lord and His promises solidifies his faith. Noah singularly carries on with his building project while leaving all else to God.
♦ Fear of the future? – Noah understands what the future holds. He knows that all he has ever known will be destroyed. Only Noah and his loved ones will be saved… God’s promised remnant. This man of faith places all hope for his salvation and his future in the hands of his Almighty God.
How do we find the faith to carry on in Christ when faced with…
♦ The challenging calling to follow Jesus? – The way of Christ is never promised to be the easy way. Yet we are privileged to have the presence of His Spirit within us. We are promised that in Him we are saved and protected as we follow His in His footsteps.
♦ Opposition from the enemy? – As believers, we have a target on our backs. We are the chosen ones… the ones who belong to Christ. The enemy desires to turn us away from following Jesus. Yet through our victorious Savior, we can resist the enemy and he will flee (James 4:7).
♦ Condemnation from the world? – The unbelieving world needs the hope that only Christ can bring. Jesus told us that the world would hate us because we are His (Matthew 10:22). We are anointed and set apart as His own. We persevere in our task to open the eyes of the unsaved to the only One who can save them from destruction.
♦ Doubts from within? – On our spiritual walk, we will encounter doubts… doubts that unsettle us… doubts that shake our faith. Yet we know the One who is ever faithful. Only by trusting in Christ and His promises will our doubts subside. We carry on in the work He has given us to do and leave the rest up to Him.
♦ Fear of the future? – Only by yielding all to Jesus will we conquer our fears and have the faith to carry on. Like Noah, we know what the future holds. We know the fate of believers and unbelievers. Yet we are assured that through Christ we are secure… now and for all eternity. Our faith empowers us to be confident of what we hope for and convinced about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
