Today’s Reading: Genesis 6-8, Psalm 12
The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on earth. It broke his heart. – Genesis 6:5-6
Not only does God direct us not to sin and warn us of the temptation of sin, it breaks his heart when we reject Him and choose to sin. The God of the universe cares enough to grieve when we push Him away in our attempts to live our own life and chase after all the world has to offer. He has a wonderful plan of salvation He was willing to sacrifice His Son in order to offer, and it saddens Him when we push His plan aside to make room for our own.
God sees each decision made and every sin committed. In Genesis, God grieved over His new creation and their lack of love for their Creator. He saw the selfish desires of their heart and how quickly they gravitated toward evil. But He also saw the heart of one who kept his eyes focused on God, who chose to walk in close fellowship with his Maker.
Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time. God chose to wipe all living creatures from the earth because of the violence that was everywhere. But, because of the faithfulness of one man, God created a plan to spare Noah and his family.
God told Noah that he was going to cover the earth with a flood. Noah had never experienced a flood but he trusted God. God told Noah to build a boat. Noah had never seen a boat but he trusted God. Everything God told him to do, Noah did exactly as God commanded him (6:22; 7:5). And everything God said He was going to do, He did – in His time.
It rained for 40 days and the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days. After 5 months, Noah released a bird to see if the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. But the bird came back because there was no place for it to land. It was not God’s time. Noah sent out a dove, but again the bird came back. It was not God’s time. Seven days later, Noah released another dove and it came back with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. It was still not God’s time but it was a sign from God that the time was drawing near. Seven days later, Noah released a third dove and it did not come back. Still Noah waited patiently for God’s instructions, which came in God’s time. Noah and his family left the boat when God said to leave the boat.
The life we choose to live is never outside of HIS SIGHT. Our faith grows as we choose to live our life for HIS PURPOSES and trust IN HIS TIME, believing that He is a God who keeps His promises. From that faith comes the gift of His righteousness.
The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. – Psalm 12:6
Father God, thank you for having a plan and a purpose that goes beyond my own understanding. Help me to daily trust you enough to wait for your perfect plan in your perfect time. Thank you for today’s reminder that you are a God who keeps His promises, a God whose heart I can trust. Amen.