GENESIS 6:1-7
Reading:
The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become,
and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on
the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said,
"I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face
of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the
ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made
them." (Genesis 6:5-7)
Time: Approximately 4000 BC
Characters: Noah
Place: Middle East
What's Happening: God laments over making man.
Prayer
Dear God,
God, I can't imagine how corrupt the world got back in the days
in the Noah. For it to get so sinful that you wanted to destroy
it all, from man to beast, shows a total defect in the human product.
What you wanted was a total recall. This was a hard decision for
a God who loves man so much. I wonder what you think of the world
today. Are you still sorry? Wars, anger, hate, pornography, sexual
predators, kidnappings, suicide bombers, how does that make you
feel about the human race. On a more personal level, when you
look at my life…are you sorry you made me? Am I in the category
of intolerable evil or incredible love for you and others? I want
to live a life that you are proud of, that you see as being a
plus, not a minus.
ADDITIONAL PRAYER
"I grieve for man on this earth…"
"I wish our world was more…"
"When God looks at my life, He thinks…"
GENESIS 6:8-14
Reading:
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account
of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people
of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem,
Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and
was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become,
for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said
to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the
earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going
to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of
cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and
out. (Genesis 6:8-14)
Time: Approximately 4000 BC
Characters: Noah
Place: Middle East
What's Happening: God picks Noah to save the animals.
Prayer
Dear God,
Lord, you've seen it all. You've witnessed all kinds of people
firsthand. Some were good…some were bad. Some we award as
the best looking, most talented, hardest working. But to find
favor in your eyes is probably the highest compliment anyone could
receive. Finding favor means that our behavior does not cause
you to shake your head in disappointment or cause you to look
away. The Bible calls it righteousness or blameless. Sin is not
on our record. How does that occur? We must walk with you. We
must keep in step with you, going where you would go and doing
what you would do. Our strides do not move ahead or behind you.
I pray that my walk today finds favor in your eyes.
ADDITIONAL PRAYER
"I feel I'm best at…"
"I do/do not think I find favor in your eyes…"
"To find favor, I need to…"
GENESIS 6:15-17
Reading:
I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all
life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of
life in it. Everything on earth will perish. (Genesis 6:15-17)
Time: Approximately 4000 BC
Characters: Noah
Place: Middle East
What's Happening: God picks Noah to save the animals.
Prayer
Dear God,
God, when it comes to the evil that we humans carry out, you have
one of three possible responses to it all: you can do nothing,
you can try to do something, or you can do something. If you do
nothing, then basically you are approving sin by turning a blind
eye to it. You know it's there, but you don't care. False. If
you try to do something, then your attempts at stopping it are
unsuccessful, saying that you are powerless against it. False.
Finally, you can do something about sin, which says you see it
as a problem and it needs rectifying. Truth. To end sin you must
destroy sin, at any cost-even if that means wiping out the entire
population of earth. This doesn't mean you want to cause such
destruction. You have to, because sin keeps your beloved from
a relationship with you. Sin has no power over you as Jesus proved
on the cross. What areas of my life do you need to flood to cleanse
me of sin?
ADDITIONAL PRAYER
"My response to sin is…"
"Sin is causing a problem with my relationship to…"
"Cleanse me of…"
GENESIS 6:18-21
Reading:
But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter
the ark-you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with
you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures,
male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind
of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature
that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.
You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store
it away as food for you and for them." (Genesis 6:18-21)
Time: Approximately 4000 BC
Characters: Noah
Place: Middle East
What's Happening: God establishes a covenant (a contract) with
Noah.
Prayer
Dear God,
Lord, you never break a promise. What you say you mean. When you
shake up our lives, you always offer a way out. The ark was your
salvation, a way to rise above the destruction. The water brought
death. The ark brought life. You always offer life. You never
force us on the ark. It's always up to us. We can stay in the
flood with water over our heads or we can jump on the ark. Your
salvation comes in many forms, but the greatest life-saving option
you give us is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the ark saving us
from drowning in sin. I want to thank you for Jesus. I want to
stay onboard. Take my hand today and pull me up. I'm drowning!
ADDITIONAL PRAYER
"I was drowning but you saved me…"
"I tend to jump back in the sin waters when I…"
"If you had not saved me, I would have…"
