Advent(Dec. 4): God's Tears
The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.”
But Noah found favor with the Lord
Genesis 6:5-8
"God looked at all the hearts
leaning away from Him - "His heart was filled with pain" is how God
felt when He looked around and saw everyone sinning and leaning and hurting.
God's tears fell like a flood."
His heart hurts not just with a few teardrops of ache, not just
with a slow drip of a bit of sadness - no, the whole gigantic enormity of God's
heart swells sore with what hurts your heart - and His tears of sadness flooded
the world."
"Noah lived in the midst of the most heinously evil society the world had known, but because he had found grace, God favored him with personal instruction about the coming catastrophic judgement and the details for a new beginning on earth."(source)
WHY NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE LORD
- Noah’s life was righteous—in spite of the horrible condition of the world of his day. He was looking for God’s direction and for the answers to his heart’s cry.
- The Bible says that Noah was one of only two men in all of history who “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). The other is Enoch, who may be more well known since he was taken up into God’s presence without dying (Genesis 5:24). The Creator entrusted him with a monumental task that is unique in all of history.
- Noah was “perfect.” That precious reputation, at least from God’s perspective, means that he was a man without condemnation. His “just” dealings resulted in a “blameless” record. Whatever the wicked people of his day may have said behind his back, they knew that Noah was above reproach. Just as folks today often resort to rumor-mongering and distortion of facts to cover their own guilt, those around Noah no doubt employed some of the same practices to discredit righteous Noah. He may well have had that kind of treatment, but God saw that he was “perfect.”
"God’s grace is always available. It is not hidden from anyone. But it must be “found” by God’s servants as we “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). (source)
- Noah was labeled a “preacher of righteousness” by the only Judge that ultimately counts. Think of what that means in the context of Genesis 6! The whole earth was “filled with violence” and “every heart” only thought of evil. Yet Noah had the guts to stand up publically for the righteous behavior that just about everyone else openly and loudly rejected.
"God leans to us who are falling in a hurting world, and He catches us.God sees our tears and the hurt flooding our world right now. And He offers everyone the greatest gift.And He whispers,"Look - My heart did break.""I love you"."Come to Jesus".
“So, when those floods of bad things happen, if you lean toward Jesus - if you incline toward Jesus, if you rest in Jesus - you get the gift of Jesus, like an ark of love, holding you, carrying you, raising you gently up through any flood of sadness that fills the world."
Come back tomorrow, as I share Day 5 of the Advent Calender...
in the book, "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift".(All quotes listed are from the book, unless indicated.)
I will be sharing each story in this beautiful book, as well as some of the breathtaking pictures. Won't you join me? Stop by each day to see the stories shared. If you would prefer I email you each days post, please leave your email in the comments section or send me an email at apop12341@hotmail.com
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I'm hoping to visit the life-sized ark Answers in Genesis is building. I think it's one of those things that will blow my mind to see in person and to realize the magnitude of Noah's story and God's judgment on the earth.
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