journey onWord with us

It seems every generation of Christians has at some point (or at numerous points) declared their world to be as godless and evil as history has ever known.  To the extent that we are on our knees crying out for God’s grace and mercy and being obedient to the part He has chosen for us to play in His redemptive plan to reach that broken and lost world, this is a right and proper heart cry.  However, I wonder how many of us are simply interested in making the point we have it so much harder than anyone else in an effort to judge the gap between ourselves and those who are lost.  Whether it be the behaviors at the base of the mountain of consumer debt, the pervasiveness of the “me” first attitude, widespread exploitation and human trafficking, or brutal acts of terrorism, there is every reason to be on our knees over the evil that exists in our world today.

In the first few verses of our reading on Noah this week, we saw a picture of a world completely consumed by evil.

The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
Genesis 6:5 (NLT)

I would guess that many who read this week nodded in identification with the world they see around them.  I wonder how many felt the incredible gravity of what was being said and were moved to just stop and get quiet with God when they read:

So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth.  It broke his heart.
Genesis 6:6 (NLT)

And the LORD said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth.  Yes, and I will destroy every living thing…”
Genesis 6:7 (NLT)

So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence.  Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!”
Genesis 6:13 (NLT)

In the midst of all this darkness and immediately following a section heading in the New Living Translation that reads “The Story of Noah,” we read:

This is the account of Noah and his family.  Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.
Genesis 6:9 (NLT)

This was the defining moment in Noah’s life; this was his story.  As God scanned the breadth and depth of His creation in that sliver of human history, Noah was seen by God as the only blameless person living on earth.  I have read and been taught the story of Noah and the Great Flood countless times, but as I prepared for the first week of home church (which I mentioned in the previous post), I was confronted with a question and challenge that had never been framed so clearly.  If God scanned the breadth and depth of His creation in this sliver of time, would He see me as He did Noah?

My circumstances will never be like Noah’s, but can his story also be my story?  Can yours?  I believe the answer is absolutely “yes!” and I believe the first or continuing step can be found in the final phrase of the bold statement of Noah’s life — and he walked in close fellowship with God.

I’ll never be asked to build a boat like the Ark or captain it for forty days and nights, but I am asked to stand against the evil of my time and lead my family as we navigate the “forty days and nights” He allows in our lives.  Similar things are asked of you.  Worry not about where our world is on the sliding scale of depravity.  Walk in close fellowship with God and be obedient to what He invites you to do and be. Write your story with Him.