City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

⁹ These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. ¹⁰ And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³ And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. ¹⁵ This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.

Genesis 6:9-17 (ESV)

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16, 25 (ESV)

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses give us an insight as to why Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation–he walked with God. Can you imagine how hard that must have been for Noah? Clearly, he was in the minority if God was prepared to destroy everyone else on earth. Yet, he walked with God. 

While walking with God is not always easy or popular and may give rise to criticism and persecution in our lives, it has preservation power. Think of it. God saved Noah out of all the people in the world and why? Because Noah walked with God. 

What’s more, God gave Noah a heads up of what was going to happen as well as a plan of action to build an ark with all the specifications as detailed in Genesis 6:11-17. This highlights the mercy and grace of God. If we’ll only turn our hearts and attention to God and make a conscious effort to walk with Him, He’ll show us the way out of destruction every time. 

Turning away from God puts us on the path to nowhere, but walking with God gives us reason to hope. In the scenario depicted in the verses of Genesis above, God instructed Noah to build an ark that would insulate him from the flood. I have no doubt it took Noah faith to start building that ark. I’m sure he endured ridicule from others as he continued to work on it day after day. What’s more, it probably took a long time to build it. 

However, in the end, that ark saved Noah and his family (not to mention the animals). Noah’s relationship with God and his obedience that flowed out of that relationship is what kept him going throughout the process of building the ark when there was no earthly sign of a flood followed by the devastating flood that did in fact ensue. 

Application

Sometimes the things God is calling us to do may not seem logical or necessary in the moment, but we can trust Him every time. When we are walking in step with the Holy Spirit, He’ll alert us to the things that will trip us up and preserve us in the midst of the storm. 

Can you honestly say you are attuned to God’s Spirit? If so, great! Keep going. If not, take this moment to turn your attention back to Him to hear what He is saying. Open your Bible and listen for His voice in the pages. Sing your favorite worship song and meditate on His goodness. Go to a private space, bow your head, open up your heart to God and pray. Let all the cares of this world dissipate as you make a conscious effort to follow God.

Prayer

Father God, I appreciate that You have made Yourself available to me through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You didn’t have to make a way, but You did. And I want to follow it. May I walk in step with Your sweet Spirit all the days of my life and on into eternity. In Jesus’ Name, amen.