September 05, 2010

Noah Walked With God

Genesis 6

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
Genesis 6:9

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Imagine being Noah and hearing God’s command to build an ark! Noah was nearly 600 years old at that time. He had “walked faithfully with God,” and he wasn’t about to stop. But what a strange demand from God! The ark would be massive. The task was huge. But Noah obeyed God and got to work!

In Noah’s day, all the people on earth were so corrupt that no one else was willing to join Noah in his walk of obedience. They probably laughed at him, saying something like “Hey, old man, why are you building a boat so far from water?” But Noah persevered and built the ark that God used to save him, his family, and all the animals it held.

Walking with God may mean doing things that look foolish, but a true walk with God means having fellowship with God and praying seriously, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!” (1 Samuel 3:9). It means acting on divine wisdom that will seem like foolishness in the mind of a godless world (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

Was Noah perfect? Hardly. Noah stumbled later in his walk when he became drunk and subjected himself to ridicule (Gen. 9:20-23). But we don’t need to be perfect to be used by God in remarkable ways. God used Noah to make a new start with the human race. What will he do with you?

Lord, I know I’m not perfect, but help me do what you want me to do. Help me to be obedient, even if others laugh at me. Your will be done. Amen.

About the author — Adrian A. Helleman

Dr. Adrian Helleman served as a pastor in British Columbia before being called to serve as a missionary-teacher in the Philippines. He and his wife, Wendy, later taught philosophy at Moscow State University in Russia, and then philosophy and theology at the University of Jos in Nigeria. They have also lectured in Canada, the United States, South Africa, and Tanzania. They have three children and three grandchildren.

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