Floating On God’s Promise

Floating On God’s Promise

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.”

Genesis 9:1

The terror of God’s anger had come to an end. The earth itself had been ruined, and all life had been destroyed. Now the blessing God promised to Noah and his sons was about to begin. They were going to restart the human race. No doubt they had fears as they waited for this to be accomplished. Living solely by faith is a difficult way of life. Noah and his family lived this way, with their eyes fixed on heaven. The world was covered with water. There was no dry ground to walk on. God’s words were their only support as they floated on top of the water.

When people aren’t in physical danger, they consider faith something insignificant. But look at Noah. He was surrounded by water—nearly swallowed by the flood. He was saved, not through his own efforts, but through relying on God’s mercy. He had confidence because he trusted what God had said.

The words “God remembered” in Genesis 8:1 indicate just how difficult Noah’s situation was. Moses points out that Noah drifted aimlessly on the water for so long that he felt as if God had forgotten him. Some people struggle with similar thoughts, feeling that they are living in darkness and without God’s favor. People who feel that God has forgotten them soon find that living by God’s Word alone—living by faith—is more difficult than practicing a lifestyle of rigorous spiritual discipline.