Devotional

Day 3: April 7
“God’s Judgment and Divine Preservation”

Genesis 7:1-24  (NKJV)

"1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” 5 And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.
7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, 9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

13 On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— 14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.
17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days."

Main Goal:

We humble ourselves in the presence of the Lord; we worship Him and bring our gratitude. We recognize God has not lost control. He continues to sit on His throne, awaiting the worship of His children.

Genesis 7:1 (NKJV)

"Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are RIGHTEOUS before Me in this generation."

Who is righteous? The righteous are those with a correct position before God. 

Romans 3:22-25  (NKJV)

"22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,"

Thanks to Christ’s sacrifice, we are upright in the presence of the Lord and we boldly make our requests known to Him. The whole world is suffering because the wickedness of man has risen to the throne of God. It’s the same as in the days of Noah. God is seeking righteous families who not only believe in Jesus but show a different attitude and shine a light for others.

God knew Noah's heart because Noah had a relationship with God. Despite what we are going through, God has been good to us but He expects us to learn to listen.

Genesis 7:17  (NKJV)

"Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth."

The number 40 is significant and is about trial, order, and organization. For Noah, the quarantine was a means of divine preservation. Notice, none of Noah’s sons rebelled against God’s decision. Think for a moment how those 8 people would feel to only hear the terrible noise of the storm shaking the ark. Perhaps, your ark is very small and you want to get out. You may start to think that there is no danger outside or can no longer bear the confinement. Remember, God shut the door. Today, we have to check if we have really been justified by His blood. It’s possible that Noah’s family, during those 40 days, experienced some family problems. Their true colors came out. It’s likely the same thing is happening with us. But only God can help resolve all your conflicts. Just you and Him.

Genesis 6:16  (NKJV)

"You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks."

We learn in moments of crisis, flood, pain, fear etc. Noah was left with the hope of having a connection with God through a window.

Psalm 121:1  (NKJV)

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?"

Why were there three decks? You decide at what level to be in during the current quarantine.

1. Will you continue in what’s “natural”, earthly, or in the “courtyard”?
2. Will you go up to a level of warfare and take authority over everything that affects the world where you can pray and intercede for this to end? This is called the “holy place”.
3. Will you recognize that you are at the level of Ephesians 1:3?

Ephesians 1:3 New King James Version (NKJV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

God is giving us the opportunity to pray and intercede from the current place of our position, not from our condition.

Genesis 7:21  (NKJV)

And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.

Prayer:

My loved ones, we have a great responsibility when we come out of this current quarantine. I confess and declare that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit; we will never be the same again. Blessed Father, we ask forgiveness for the world, starting with the spiritual and governmental leaders. We recognize that we have failed you and today we ask for your forgiveness. We thank you because we have placed our trust in you.