GENESIS 8:1-5
Reading: But God remembered Noah and all
the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark,
and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. (Genesis
8:1)
Time: Approximately 4000 BC
Characters: Noah
Place: Middle East
What's Happening: The flood waters recede.
Prayer
Dear God,
Stuck on a smelly ark in the middle of a downpour, filled with
all kinds of restless animals, bleating, baaing, roaring, and
floating about for over a year, one would wonder, "God do
you still remember me?" Our lives sometimes stink, left out
in the rain, noisy and disruptive for as long as we can remember,
and we wonder, "God, do you still care?" The answer
is yes, you do care. God, like Noah, I am waiting for the flood
waters to recede. Maybe I've been flooded by some past unrighteousness,
caused by me or someone else. Whatever it is, I know help is coming.
Maybe not right away. While I wait, I must float on my salvation
(the ark) which gives me hope for the future and comfort for the
present. Without those things, I'm drowning. I remember and I
cling to your salvation promises that you haven't forgotten, even
though I'm knee-deep, waist-deep, neck-deep…over my head
in problems.
ADDITIONAL PRAYER
"I am up to my neck in…"
"You offer a life preserver to me…"
"I want to see the waters recede…"
GENESIS 8:6-14
Reading: When the dove returned to him
in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive
leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.
(Genesis 8:11)
Time: Approximately 4000 BC
Characters: Noah
Place: Middle East
What's Happening: Noah sends a dove to see if land is appearing.
Prayer
Dear God,
Lord, after many attempts and long waits to discover land, Noah
received a sign that the water had receded and vegetation was
starting to grow. Fitting that the bird you sent and the leaf
that came back have become signs of peace in our world-the dove
and the olive branch. After a particularly violent time on this
earth that saw a massive attack on humans and animals, you offered
peace to the world. You are not one to hold grudges. Your desire
was peace all along, but civilization would not come to the table
to negotiate. In my life, I need to extend offerings of peace
to some that have stubbornly fought against me. I need to stop
holding grudges and refusing forgiveness. Right now I send out
doves and olive branches from my heart to those that are desperately
waiting word on my feelings toward them.
ADDITIONAL PRAYER
"I am at war with…"
"I need peace with…"
"I need to follow up the peace process by…"
GENESIS 8:15-22
Reading: Then God said to Noah, "Come
out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.
Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you-the birds,
the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground-so
they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in
number upon it." (Genesis 8:15-17)
Time: Approximately 4000 BC
Characters: Noah
Place: Middle East
What's Happening: Noah releases the animals from the ark.
Prayer
Dear God,
Once the creatures on the ark were released, you said to them
after a particularly long period of confinement, "Get out
there and multiply. Be fruitful with your time. Increase. Expand
your horizons. See new things. Spread out." Your desire for
me is the same. You do no want me to have less, be unproductive
and sit around. You want me to have more, see more, watch my labors
swell and blessing to be placed on top of blessing. Sometimes,
for a brief period, I sit in isolation, seeing nothing but destruction
all around. But that is not end result for my life. You unlock
the world to me, providing me with opportunities, showing me things
I've never seen before, revealing talents I never knew I had.
You open doors to me, then shout, "Go for it!"
ADDITIONAL PRAYER
"I feel confined in the area of…"
"I need to have doors opened…"
"I want to multiply in the area of…"
