Noah, a herald of righteousness

God preserved Noah (2 Peter 2:5). He protects the righteous. Noah was a sinner like everyone else, but God found grace and favor for him (Genesis 6:8).

Today I read the story of Noah's Ark to my two year old son. Like many of us, he was enamored by all of the animals. Page after page, the Little Golden Book demonstrated pictures of animals entering the ark two-by-two. The story of Noah and the ark is one of my favorite children stories, but in the Bible it's not just a cute nursery rhyme. It's a story of a faith that is much larger than anything we can comprehend.

God told Noah to build a large boat with his family...in the middle of the desert. Everyone mocked him. Day after day Noah followed through and set out to do what God had created him for. Noah wasn't perfect, but he lived an extraordinary life of obedience and holiness. As a result, God preserved him. If you do what God has created you do in your life, He will preserve you, too.

I'm sure Noah had a lot of really bad days. People picked on him, laughed at him, and he likely lost friends over his commitment to God. People thought he was crazy. There were probably days when Noah woke up and wondered if what he was doing was worth it. There were probably days that he doubted God and doubted himself. There were probably days he wondered if he was actually doing what he was supposed to be doing because no one else bought in. He gave his life to preaching a message that no one believed and building a boat that no one would enter (except his family). He had "church" every week and no one came. He preached his whole life and had no converts. Then, after 100 years, the rain came.

As people who possess a passion for excellence, it might seem like we're Noah. We're just the odd ball, peculiar individual doing things that no one else seems interested in. People pick on us and think that what we're doing is a waste of time. They believe we're wasting our breath, cause, energy and money on things that don't matter.

If you're a Christ follower, the Bible says that God will deliver us, just as he delivered Noah. Just as Noah had no regrets, neither will we if we persevere in faith. God knows how to rescue the Godly from trials (2 Peter 2:9a).