Daily devotion – My man Noah
Meanwhile, Noah Continued to Build the Ark…
Noah lived in a time of great darkness. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the world had plunged rapidly into evil and violence. So bad, in fact, that:
“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
(Genesis 6:5)
The next verses show God’s deep sorrow over humanity’s condition:
“And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth… for I am sorry that I have made them.’”
(Genesis 6:6-7)
Most of you know the story of Noah — one of my personal heroes in God’s Word.
In the midst of that wicked world, we read this shining verse:
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
(Genesis 6:8)
God then revealed His plan to Noah and commanded him to build the ark:
“Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”
(Genesis 6:22)
As I picture this scene, I imagine Noah rising every morning with his three sons, ready to get to work. Around them, the world continued its downward spiral, but Noah never shirked, never complained about the mammoth task God had assigned him. Day after day, he simply got to work, doing what was needed.
His sons didn’t rebel or run off to do their own thing — they stood with their father. And Mrs. Noah, faithfully, packed their lunches and supported them every step of the way.
Can you imagine the impact a family like Noah’s would have in your church today? Faithful, dependable, and steadfast — like clockwork. It took over 120 years of hard labour to build that ark, and during that time, Noah also preached the righteousness of God (2 Peter 2:5).
Noah and his family were fixated on serving the Lord.
What was the outcome of their diligence?
Yes, they missed out on a lot of what the world was chasing — the parties, the pleasures, the distractions. While others danced and indulged, Noah and his family cut and sawed the timber for God’s purpose.
But when judgment came, Noah and his entire family were saved.
They were rescued from the flood of God’s judgment because they chose faithfulness over worldliness.
May we all look to Noah’s example and see the prize that he saw would be waiting for him and his family at the end of their race.