My, Devotion to Him #309
The subtitle for part three is – Healing Is Coming
Verse Passage: Genesis 6:19-22 “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” – ESV
When my daughter was born, it was undoubtedly one of the most incredible moments of my life. I’m sure the same is true for most parents. Her first walk, word, or smile was just so touching deep in my heart. Maybe it was a time when your child said they missed you, and you could’ve prevented that. How about the first time they got hurt, and it was something that you had the power to stop. Those moments are just as touching because it brings guilt inside. How about when someone died, and you didn’t make the time to see them more? Oh, that one is painful and powerful. Throughout life, we find so many moments that we want another chance, either to relive it for the happiness it brought or the opportunity to make things right. Maybe you have those thoughts of “I should’ve, I wish, If only.”
Apart from happiness, regret is a common human experience. In Noah’s story, we read that God was sorry He made us. What? Really? That seems impossible. He’d never think or say such a thing about us because we are just the most adorable thing ever created, and He is a God of love. Well… The Bible tells us the very thing you wouldn’t believe within a passage.
Verse Passage: Genesis 6:6 “And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” – ESV
God regretted the violence and wickedness He saw in the human heart, yet He still moved toward us in love. God instructs Noah to take a male and female of each species and to take food for them to eat. These are simple instructions for life. It’s clear that God wants human life on earth to continue despite His displeasure. Thank God! I am forever grateful Noah found favor in the Lord.
Even though the great flood brought about total destruction to all but eight people, something else was taking place in the midst of death, destruction, and dismay. Healing.
Within this crazy, sad, and life-ending event, we find a God who wanted a do-over. A God who was grieved by the things His creation was doing. A God who found one person on the earth worth saving. In this, we see He wants restoration. Not of what was pre-flood but what was pre-sin. This could never be so until Jesus, but until then, God would make it possible for this story to continue. What was lost in the garden set the stage for the flood. In this whole thing, we find a God who wants us even though His creation has done terrible things. He doesn’t want it to end completely. He wants you. Noah found favor, the very thing that allowed his family to be spared and your life to come to pass.
Only God has the power to bring life out of death. Even as God is wiping the slate clean, He is making our lives and our earth new again. Now we have the chance to be born again! Everything is wiped away, and behold, something new springs forth.
I watched a video of a man who found an old watch while treasure hunting. He took it home, washed it, took out the broken pieces, put it back together, polished it up, and there sat a perfectly new watch.
God washes your slate clean, fixing the broken pieces inside, and puts it all back together. Thank God for the blood of Christ that has cleansed us and the Spirit of God that empowers us to live righteously.
God Bless,
Copyright © 2023 by Jacob Olinger
Noah, Goodness Still Abounds Series
- Noah Part 1: Understanding His Ways
- Noah Part 2: A Rising Tide
- Noah Part 3: Healing Is Coming (current page)
- Noah Part 4: Opportunities In Life
- Noah Part 5: Sacrifices
- Noah Part 6: Rainbows Among Us
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