4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Genesis 6-8
Matthew 2:16-3:17

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Genesis 6:8-9 (CSB): “Noah, however, found favor with the Lord. These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

We are told that Noah “found favor” (KJV “grace”) with the Lord. This means that the Lord looked at Him with affirmation and approval. As a result, God used Noah to build an ark and then to preserve the human race and repopulate the earth after the worldwide flood.

But how are we to understand this? Grace can’t be earned or deserved. It’s free.

Here is my understanding: We cannot earn or deserve God’s grace. Yet, we can put ourselves in the place where it flows.

I believe this is how we are to understand the following verse (Genesis 6:9) describing Noah’s character. He didn’t work to gain God’s favor or grace. Instead, he lived so that God was free to shower His grace upon him.

So, how did Noah live?

Genesis 6:8-9 (CSB): “Noah, however, found favor with the Lord. These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.”

We observe that Noah lived admirably in three areas:

First, he “was a righteous man,” meaning that he strived to live according to what was right. While he didn’t have the Bible (God’s Word) like we do, he may have heard from men like Adam and Enoch about what it meant to walk with God and live according to His rules.

Second, he was “blameless among his contemporaries,” meaning that none of his peers saw anything immoral in him. They couldn’t point a finger at him for some inconsistency in what he said and what he did.

Third, he “walked with God,” meaning that he lived with a conscious awareness of God’s presence, and he strived to hear and obey what he believed the Lord was telling him.

Again, none of these three attributes earned God’s favor. God was under no obligation to shower His free grace upon Noah. And, in all reality, Noah couldn’t have done any of this if God’s grace had not previously softened his heart and enabled him to desire to live a righteous life. But Noah’s actions put him in a place where God’s grace could flow over and engulf him.

This principle applies to each of us as well. If you want to be robbed of experiencing and enjoying God’s grace, then live a life of disobedience to the Lord. But if you want to experience and enjoy His grace (in whatever form He decides to send it), then seek to enjoy Him, submit to Him, and obey Him. And see what He does in response.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you to see all of the ways you are already recipients of His grace.
  • Ask God to give you the grace to pursue Him and obey Him more.
  • By faith, expect that God will honor your prayer and thank Him in advance for the progress you will make.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into how to experience God’s favor, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What is the favor of God, and how can I get it?”

“What is the meaning of “the eyes of the Lord” in the Bible?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)