Then the Floodwaters Receded

As I sit here reading Genesis 8, the cool breeze of our fan gently blows upon me the fresh air from outdoors. With the massive amount of rain we’ve had here in Georgia the past two days came a pleasant drop in temperature, one that this former Northerner appreciates immensely. But I digress … back to Genesis! This chapter exhibits the receding of the floodwaters and the resting of Noah’s ark on Mount Ararat. Reading about how God sent “a wind to blow across the earth” (Genesis 8:1, New Living Translation), I closed my eyes and pictured the scene, complete with the wind of the fan on my face. Can you imagine the hope Noah and his family felt as the waters dried up bit by bit? Did Noah stand with his face at the window, feeling God’s wind and knowing their time in the ark was coming to an end with a new beginning awaiting he and his loved ones? Did anticipation mix with gratefulness within him, causing an overwhelming excitement to well up in his chest?

Later in the passage, we read that after leaving the ark, Noah built an altar to God and made the approved sacrifices (Genesis 8:20, NLT). The LORD was pleased with Noah’s sacrifice at the altar, and I believe He was also pleased with Noah’s obedience. The man built a humongous boat in a land that had not seen rain! He lived in conditions less than appealing … on a ship filled with animals and their waste (and for that matter, family and their waste too!), being tossed about by the waves of the rising flood. God spoke; Noah listened and obeyed without hesitation. He didn’t have all the answers, he may not have understood all that God was asking of him, but he moved forward anyway, all while worshipping his LORD. Afterward, God wiped away the waters that had engulfed Noah’s life for months.

The world in which my husband, Steve, and I reside was rocked over the past few months with his diagnosis of cancer. We have been tossed to and fro by the waves of emotional and physical pain, confusion, anger, and exhaustion, to the point of feeling like we were drowning. There have been glimpses of sunshine on the horizon, and there have been moments of darkness … a darkness that envelopes and desires the floodwaters to simply consume us and be done. We have cried out, “WHY God? What do You want from us?” We have wept a river full of tears. I personally read Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” and screamed, “HOW God? How is this GOOD?!”

Another CT scan during Round II: the cancer had traveled.

I thank God for His children. In the midst of the pain and the questioning, a dear friend allowed me to vent freely, and she listened without judgment. She knows my faith is not shaken, and she, too, has experienced moments of confusion when circumstances seemed unfair. One day, I sent her a text about my feelings on the above verse. She prayed before sending this response: I don’t think we’re supposed to understand all things, just trust that He is with us through it all. The Holy Spirit’s peace washed over me when I read those words. I needed the reminder that indeed, God is with us every single step of the way though our flood. He never left Noah, and He isn’t leaving us.

Are the waters receding yet? Eh, not completely. We’re fighting a lifelong battle with high and low tides. But I know God’s promises are true. I trust, without a doubt, that He will continue to bless us and provide in ways that will blow our minds. We will praise His name and worship Him with every part of our lives … the good and the not so good. And our river of tears? Revelation 21:4 tells us, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Oh, sweet Jesus, how I long for that day! “He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Separation from GOD

This morning, I started my day by reading the biblical book of Habakkuk.  It’s a short book with an odd-sounding name by today’s standards, and it’s message is absolutely poignant.  I highly encourage you to read it; as I said, it’s short and to the point.

The message of Habakkuk got me thinking about the world we live in today.  I found myself pondering Romans 1:28: “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done” (New Living Translation).  This one statement summarizes the condition of modern humanity.  People have chosen their way over God’s way, and many have chosen to reject the very existence of God.  Don’t think so?  Let’s read on:

Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.  They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful.  They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.  They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.  (Romans 1:29-32, NLT)

Sound familiar?  This type of behavior has been displayed for decades, and it doesn’t take a biblical scholar to see that the choices people are making are, indeed, getting worse.  This begs the question, “Why?”  Why have our sinful choices caused God to abandon us to our own demise?  Actions breed consequences.  Too simple, you say?  I disagree, and here is why:

1. God exists and the Bible is true; therefore, the biblical description of God is also true.
2. We have free will (a.k.a. freedom of choice) and have chosen against God, rather than for God.
3. These choices have separated us from God; hence, God has allowed us to live with the consequences of our actions.

God exists and the Bible is true.  Romans 1:20 reads, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (NLT).  (For further in-depth research, do an internet search for Lee Strobel.)  I believe God exists, that he created the world, and that one day those he calls his children will reside with him in heaven for eternity (Genesis 1, John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10).   Additionally, I believe that the bible is true: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16, NLT).

We have free will and have chosen against God, rather than for God.  When we continually choose to live according to our own desires instead of permitting God to guide our lives, he allows us to be consumed by our own appetites.  This condition of humanity is described not only in the book of Habakkuk and in Romans 1:29-32, but throughout Scripture.  Here are just a few examples:

“So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen” (Romans 1:24-25, NLT).

“So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas” (Psalm 81:12, NLT).

“Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy” (Revelation 22:11, NLT).

These choices have separated us from God.  Sin creates a chasm between us and God.  “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore” (Isaiah 59:2, NLT).  Adam and Eve committed sin when they ate the “forbidden fruit” in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).  Prior to that moment, they walked and talked with God in perfect, serene fellowship.  Because of their choice, they suffered the consequences; the main one was the breaking of that intimacy with their Creator (Genesis 3:23).  The chasm that began in the garden is growing larger today.

God has allowed us to live with the consequences of our actions.  Going back to “God exists,” many would argue that there is no God.  I’ve heard it said that because of the pain and suffering in this world, there can not be a God.  Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said, “It seemed as impossible to conceive of Auschwitz with God as to conceive of Auschwitz without God. Therefore, everything had to be reassessed because everything had changed” (The Nobel Peace Prize speech, 1986).  We cannot address the atrocities in this world without bringing God into the conversation, yet I would challenge you to leave him out of it.  In fact, as those who oppose the authenticity of God do, let’s say there is no God.  If there is no God:

• Mankind lives for its own pleasure, sometimes ethically, sometimes not
• People behave as though there are no consequences for their actions
• Humans abuse the very earth they live upon until it negatively affects them
• Innocent people are harmed due to a blatant disregard for human life
• Diseases run rampant due to everything from pollution to food additives
• People admit they have nobody to blame but themselves for these consequences

On the other side, if God is real and the Bible is true, then he created a perfect world – a world that was GOOD (Genesis 1:31) – without disease or destruction.  If people choose to reject God, their sins have cut them off from God (Isaiah 59:2).  Therefore, we are living in a world filled with individuals who are separated from God and relishing in their own choices.  So what does this world look like?

• Mankind lives for its own pleasure, sometimes ethically, sometimes not
• People behave as though there are no consequences for their actions
• Humans abuse the very earth they live upon until it negatively affects them
• Innocent people are harmed due to a blatant disregard for human life
• Diseases run rampant due to everything from pollution to food additives
• People blame God for evil in this world

My friends, if we are going to live as if there is no God, then we must accept the responsibility and the consequences of our actions.  God is not going to take away our free will.  He did not create a species of robots; he wants us to choose a relationship, fellowship, and life with him.  Without this relationship made possible through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, there might as well be no God for those who do not know God.  Yet the day will come when this choice serves its greatest consequence: eternal separation from God.

And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, NLT)

There will be a day when the choice will be made for us: everyone will know without a doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord!

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though he was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.  Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11, NLT, emphasis mine)  

If we have accepted Jesus as our Savior – the free gift from God for salvation from eternal damnation/separation from him – then we must “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NLT).  In this world of turmoil, our only hope is found in Jesus.  He can and He will restore our relationship with God, our heavenly Father.

“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NLT).