"Noah, however, found favor in the sight of the Lord." Genesis 6:8
At the beginning of the flood narrative, all we learn about Noah is that he found favor, some translations say grace, in the sight of the Lord. And that's all the Bible says about it... no explanation as to why Noah and his family were the ones God would choose to show His mercy to. So I thought, "What was it about Noah that warranted that grace?"
After all, Noah was disgraced as a result of his drunkenness after the flood, and God knew that would happen. Why in the world would God use a drunk and his family to repopulate Earth? It turns out I was asking the wrong question. The question wasn't "Why did God save Noah?" The question was, "Why does God save any of us?"
From birth, we are evil to the core. No one had to teach us how to be selfish, lie, cheat, or how to love ourselves above all others... we were born with that in us. Even so, God's grace is offered to us not of our own worthiness, but of Christ's. Giving up everything He was, He became everything He was not to make a way for me to be with Him forever.
Like Noah, there is nothing about me that deserves that kind of grace. But the God that offers this grace is the God I serve, and the God I want to tell people about now more than ever. This is the God that has asked my family and me to "Get Out of the Boat" and follow Him.
Jason
This is a wonderful reminder that God knew exactly what we would do in our lives and yet he STILL allowed us to be saved by His grace! I often think of King David and how much he "messed up" and yet he was a "man after God's own heart." This truly gives me comfort to know just how deep the love of the Father is for His children...also incredibly humbling! Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteGlad to do it, Steph! What an incredible God we serve!
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