Sunday 7 May 2023

May 7: Genesis 8:1-19

Key Verse: Genesis 8:13
By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.

Devotion:
I used to read through the story of Noah and the flood and wonder what happened to all the people who were consumed by the flood – I still wonder how this could have happened. But when we see the state of many countries who have rejected God, we see people being consumed by pride and greed. If we simply take the bible as a string of stories which are true, then we are going to miss the real message from God!

God has made sure we have these stories in the state they are so we will meditate on the stories and not just read them like we read a newspaper. God wants us to feel the stories and the emotions so we do not forget what He has done throughout our history.

How often do you think about how old Noah was when this was all happening? How often do you think of the after effects of the flood: the mud, destruction, humidity, and all the horrible things we don’t want to think of? God wants us to remember how bad things can get and how good things are when we live with Him in our lives. God wants us to see we can leave this all behind when we go to be with Him in Heaven!

God gave Noah a chance for a fresh start where he could leave the horrible things of the previous life behind and not have to put up with the pride and greed and other horrible things which were consuming everyone. But such a drastic change in circumstance does not come easy for a mere human! We need to walk with God and keep close to Him so we can survive in our new life!

Points to Ponder:
Do you find life difficult?

How close are you staying to God?