The Bible provides a fearsome image of Noah’s ark, as huge a vessel as it is, bobbing helplessly on turbulent waters, chased back and forth by howling winds.
God is off wreaking destruction upon the planet, and seems to have given no further thought to Noah, his little family and their animal cargo.
But then come words of grace: just three little words. The Bible says, “God remembered Noah” (Genesis 8:1).
Truth is, God never forgot about Noah at all.
The Lord does not abandon him to the ocean swells. God closes “the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens” (Genesis 8:2). And then, a full year after the flood began, the earth is dry once again: dry enough to bear the weight of human feet.
The wonder of it all is this: the great Creator God, the one who fashioned space and time out of nothing, is yet willing to remember individuals. That’s a remarkable claim.
Noah and his family are not alone. You are not alone.
There may come times, in our lives, when storms and floods descend. In a desperate hour, we may feel as though we’re bobbing on the waves, floating on chaos itself. God’s solution, in such a dark hour, is not what we’re typically inclined to ask for.
God offers those who feel lost or forgotten not so much a spectacular rescue, but rather a slow and steady process of the waters’ subsiding. Through it all, God remembers us. And with that remembering comes the promise of new life.
PRAYER: Dear God of all power, in rescuing Noah from the flood you demonstrated that remember us in our storms, when we feel lost or forgotten, and when our sins keep us from looking to you. Thank you for your mercy on me. Help me today to reach out and remember someone who needs this message. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Read Genesis chapter 8. Notice the slow process. The slow, updated promises of God. The slow, long obedience of Noah over time. How does this help you in your faith when your expectations are that God always acts swiftly?