Genesis 6:22 – Noah did everything just as God commanded him. In a world which is keen to find ways to deviate from the order established by God, it is heartening to find Noah, a man who was willing to pay a price to obey all that God commanded. He was destined to be condemned and destroyed along the rest of the disobedient lot. The only way for him to save himself and his family was to obey God and willingly accept the plan of salvation God had provided. It was totally a plan of God as it originated from Him. It was a complete plan in itself and there was no scope for anything to be added to it by any one. Any degree of the noncompliance of God’s plan would have ended up in destruction. Every detail had to be obeyed to the last syllable. The workers who helped Noah in building the ark could not add any of their ideas to God’s plan as told them by Noah. God’s plan for the deliverance of man was flawless as has been proved by subsequent events. There was provision for sustenance and multiplication. The supplies were sufficient until they would find the fruit of the earth through farming after the flood. Quantity and quality of supplies met all the needs in the best possible manner. There was no need for any competition or quarrel because of the sufficiency of arrangements. All had enough space to maneuver and enjoy the security of salvation prepared by God. The ark also gave the reassurance to the travelers that if the ark was sufficient for some time, the earth would be sufficient for the rest of the time. If they were willing to be content with the ark, they would be given the new earth with new opportunities and possibilities shortly. The obedience of Noah in making all arrangements as instructed by God and Noah’s total allegiance and surrender of all his human faculties to God ended up in the blessing of all humanity and the living creatures.
Dear friend, if you are burdened about how to live peacefully and with contentment in a world of competition and rebellion, you can take a lesson from the events which centered around the flood at the time of Noah. For those who look to the Lord for a way out of their difficulties, He will provide a way out at the right time. But it will be available only to those who are wiling to take God’s plan unquestionably and without adding any thing to it. If we are dependent on God totally, His help will come to meet all our needs totally and at the right time. Our total dependence on God is the allegiance God expects from us in our daily lives. This allegiance cannot be lip service, but a matter of our will. When we obey God totally and are willing to pay a price to obey Him, He will honor our obedience and surrender to His will by meeting our needs in times of difficulty. But if we do not obey, we are telling God that we want to go our way. If we are determined to go our way and still expect God to help us out, it is inconsistent thinking. We cannot keep our feet in two canoes at the same time. Either we should go out all the way for God’s plan and programs for our sustenance or we should obey our human instincts and do what our human wisdom leads us to do. After doing what we want to do, we cannot ask as to why God is not doing any thing to help us out. God’s deliverance and help are available only to those who are willing to obey Him and follow His pathway. He wants all His children to do His will unquestionably. We see that when God’s children obey Him totally, God showers blessings upon them. These blessings are basically spiritual, with provisions for our daily needs so that we will be able to continue to look unto Him for our daily needs. This is how God as the King of this universe wants His children to look unto Him for all their needs day after day just as Noah, his family and the living creatures continued in the ark.
Isaiah 1:19 – If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land. Thought for TodayUnconditional obedience is the mark of our true love for God and it is the precondition for God’s blessings upon His people.
