Title (Thursday) Noah who received grace
Contents
Hymn: No. 353 “The Grace You Have Given My Lord Jesus”
Meditation: What kind of grace does God want to give me?
Confession of Faith: Apostles' Creed
Text: “God counseled Noah and all the wild animals and livestock that were with him in the ark, and he caused a wind to blow on the earth, and the waters subsided” (Genesis 8:1).
Verse: “God commanded Noah and all the wild animals and livestock that were with him in the ark.” How beautiful and grateful is God's grace? In the wrath of the terrible punishment that was directed against mankind who had fallen into sin, God bestowed the grace of “consoling” for the righteous Noah and his family. Today we hope to receive such grace as well. What is the secret to Noah's grace?
Because you kept your faith. The flood judgment was God's way of judging mankind who had fallen through sin. But God still had love for creation in the midst of terrible judgment. This kind of love even encouraged Noah and the livestock of the wild animals in the ark, and freed him from the frustrating ark.
Because I waited well. After Noah and his family entered the ark, the windows of heaven were opened and it rained with a flood forty days and forty nights. The water overflowed the earth, causing the ark to float on the highest mountain. Meanwhile, all life on earth lost their lives in the flood. The water rose on the earth for 150 days, during which time Noah's family waited patiently in the ark. After a long wait, the water finally ran out.
You used a miracle. The overflowing water all over the world will decrease, but God made the wind blow on the earth. Some say the wind was the Spirit of God moving over the water, while others say it was the heat of the sun that dried the water. It is unnecessary to argue about what this wind is. You just have to believe that God is the one who works miracles in the way He wants. Like Noah, we too need grace.
Eventually the water ran out. What a moving moment is “the peak of the mountains was seen” (Genesis 8:5)? He showed us the peak of hope when we were still in the midst of darkness. That is grace. Now is a time when we really need grace in our path of life. Let's keep our faith and wait patiently. Let's wait for God to perform a miracle. I hope that we will become families of faith who wait well until the peak of hope is seen.
Prayer: God who controls the wind, I want you to blow the wind on our path of life to make the impossible possible, to open up the closed and to give you hope when it is dark. I prayed in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord's Prayer