Grace

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” Genesis 6:9 (NIV)

The sun was just coming over the eastern horizon and Noah was about to sit when he heard the wind in the trees. He turned to greet the Lord. The Lord spoke first, his voice as gentle as the breeze, “Good morning Noah. Do you mind if I join you?” Smiling from ear to ear, Noah replied, “You are welcome. I am glad you are here. I only just arrived myself. Shall we walk or sit for awhile?”

When the Lord didn’t respond immediately, Noah looked in his face and was shocked by the shadows of sorrow he saw there. “I have thought about things, Noah, and decided you must know the situation we’re facing.” Arching his eyebrows, Noah asked, “What’s troubling you Lord? How can I help?”

“Let’s walk a little ways, old friend, and I’ll tell you everything.” As they walked along, the Lord told Noah how humanity was completely engrossed in imagining and doing evil things. Their violence against each other had increased to an alarming level. He told about his decision to come down personally and see for himself.

Noah was a little more than shocked, to say the least, but the Lord’s first-hand evidence was horrific and undeniable. What would the Creator do? Noah knew God was merciful but couldn't simply ignore such wickedness.

Horrified, Noah painfully listened to the Lord explain his decision. “It hurts me to do it, Noah, but I have decided to destroy the earth along with all creatures on it. I simply cannot tolerate such evil corruption of my creation.”

At first, Noah couldn’t speak. The awful concept of total destruction prevented the words. What could he say? The Creator was sorry for creating the earth and all its inhabitants. If God couldn’t find another solution to this problem, what could Noah come up with? There was only one thing that flooded his mind.

“What about me and my family? Are we to be destroyed too? Are we guilty of wickedness and violence too?” In the deafening silence, Noah looked into the face of the Almighty and what he saw in those eyes brought peace and calm to his soul.

“No, Noah. You are my only righteous servant. To you I give grace. I have a plan for your safety and survival. You will build a floating structure according to my specifications. You and your family will be saved.”

Dear Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Empower us to live in your grace without abusing it. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Be strong and courageous today in God's grace,