Finding Divine Favor Amidst Wickedness
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth . . . the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with humans forever . . . The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that He had made humans beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled.
So the LORD said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created . . . for I regret that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:1-8.
So the LORD said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created . . . for I regret that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:1-8.
What a moment! God made humans in His own image and likeness. He blessed them, equipped them to be fruitful and exercise dominion as His personal representatives on earth. But humans wickedly colluded with the Devil and turned their backs on God. The human heart was filled with continual wickedness and the heart of God was filled with grief!
God regretted that He created humans and determined to wipe them off from the earth.
But one man, Noah, found favor in the eyes of God.
I have seen situations where parents have been so troubled by the unacceptable behaviors of their children that they have actually regretted giving birth to them. So, as humans, we can identify with the pain, regret, and disappointment God was feeling. After all, God is our Father and Maker. We were fashioned after His likeness!
But the difference between us and God is that God is absolutely Holy and can never be wicked. God never gives up on us, no matter how wicked we become. Somehow God always reaches back to humanity and finds a way to rescue us. So, even though God was determined to wipe out the entire human race, He paused when he saw one person, Noah, who found favor before Him. As the story unfolds, we see God preserving humanity through Noah!
The times in which we live are frighteningly wicked. There is unimaginable greed, injustice, selfishness, ingratitude and a plain lack of sympathy for the less privileged. The human heart seems to be gushing out nothing but wickedness. But all is not lost, God can still find "Noahs" through whom he can turn things around. When one person finds favor in the eyes of God, there is no telling what God will do. God could bring about a revival because of one person.
You and I could be God's Noah in our communities and in our country. It takes risking being ridiculed and maligned for living authentically for Jesus but that is the only path.
May you and I position ourselves as "Noahs" who find favor before God and through whom God brings preservation.
God regretted that He created humans and determined to wipe them off from the earth.
But one man, Noah, found favor in the eyes of God.
I have seen situations where parents have been so troubled by the unacceptable behaviors of their children that they have actually regretted giving birth to them. So, as humans, we can identify with the pain, regret, and disappointment God was feeling. After all, God is our Father and Maker. We were fashioned after His likeness!
But the difference between us and God is that God is absolutely Holy and can never be wicked. God never gives up on us, no matter how wicked we become. Somehow God always reaches back to humanity and finds a way to rescue us. So, even though God was determined to wipe out the entire human race, He paused when he saw one person, Noah, who found favor before Him. As the story unfolds, we see God preserving humanity through Noah!
The times in which we live are frighteningly wicked. There is unimaginable greed, injustice, selfishness, ingratitude and a plain lack of sympathy for the less privileged. The human heart seems to be gushing out nothing but wickedness. But all is not lost, God can still find "Noahs" through whom he can turn things around. When one person finds favor in the eyes of God, there is no telling what God will do. God could bring about a revival because of one person.
You and I could be God's Noah in our communities and in our country. It takes risking being ridiculed and maligned for living authentically for Jesus but that is the only path.
May you and I position ourselves as "Noahs" who find favor before God and through whom God brings preservation.
Prayer: Lord, may I be a Noah and find favor in your sight. Amen.