Friday, 28 July 2017

Genesis 6:13-16 – Building a life that can be afloat with God

We all know that nothing escapes the sight of God. Absolutely nothing. He saw everything then and He continues to see everything now – good or evil. So we learn that Noah found favor in God’s sight, and he was described as a righteous and blameless man. But just as God noticed Noah, He also saw evil and the pervasive violence. And such negative state of affairs could not be good breeding ground for righteousness and godliness. God’s intention for a godly generation can never be attained in such a state. It was well nigh impossible. God would have to begin anew with man. Like all of God’s movement this one must also begin with an appropriate instrument, a righteous man. In this movement to preserve mankind while destroying all that was evil, Noah was to be the man for the season. What is this speaking to us? Let us put this in our context. Is God about to break new ground? Can He see in us the right material that He can use? God is still seeking a man to stand in the gap between Him and lost humanity, many of whom are our loved ones, neighbors, friends, and colleagues. Will we, like Noah, be the instrument that God will use? 

God instructed Noah to build an ark that would provide salvation for him and his family. In much the same way as Noah built the ark, we need to build a secure sanctum in life to keep us afloat with God; that will keep us above the flood of evil in our world today. To stay vibrantly connected with God, we need to build the ark of safety, a place where we can constantly retreat to in the journey of life, to stay connected to God. We know that being in Christ, puts us in the Ark of salvation. Equally important as we are in this Ark, we need to cultivate scared rhythms of intimacy with God that will allow His grace to move into our lives and bring about the spiritual growth. Could the massive ark God instructed Noah to build, is also His invitation to us, to build sacred rhythms in life that will keep us afloat with Him, in the midst of a trying world?

Here are some personal reflection concerning the dimensions of the ark that God had given to Noah. Could God be indicating what He wants of our relationship with Him in giving the specifics? In the length, the breadth and the height, could He be talking about durability, space and depth He wants of our relationship with Him? There is no denial that we need to make room in our relationship with Him. It must have durability, space and depth with God. And we are told that the ark was made of gopher wood that could stay afloat for a long time. And like the gopher wood of the ark, our life must be built with spiritual material that will enable us to stand firm in the times of storms and trials in life. The window that opened upward could be an indication for the need to be open to what God will communicate with us from above. The door that opened from within could be an indication that the key to an open dialogue with God is often triggered from within us. It takes desire on our part to seek God. Remember, while God desires His best for us, He needs us to work in tandem with Him. Like Noah, we need to build an ark that will help us to stay afloat with God in a distracting world. We need a place of retreat and find rest in Him and one that will also help us to weather the storms of life.   

No comments:

Post a Comment