GOD REMEMBERED

10 22 12 God Remembered  

Genesis 8:1 (NIV) God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

Note: For 150 days (Gen 7:24) Noah and family took care of the animals he had on board the Ark; a smelly, difficult job of watering, feeding and cleaning. During this time, God was silent. God had given Noah specific information on how to build the Ark, the necessary food and supplies but now in the long days and nights of enduring ceaseless rain and rising flood waters, Noah had not heard from God. His days were characterized by doing the mundane repetitive actions of caring for the animals over and over and over again. Was this a test of his faith? It would be of mine. None of us enjoy living a life filled with doing the same boring things over and over again with no end in sight.

I think this is especially true when it comes to our spiritual lives. We love the mountain tops; we endure the valleys. One thing is certain; the mountain top experiences are anything but boring. They are filled with the awesome awareness of God’s presence, power and love. It’s the mountain top experiences where we see and feel God’s power, where we see and experience the mighty unfolding of his miraculous works in us and in the lives of his people, the Church.

On the other hand the valley is routine, worrisome and tiring, and for the most part uninspiring. We do what is expected of us but in time life loses its joy if we are not careful. I wonder, if like many of us who have gone through these times of boredom and separation from God, if Noah cried out for a Word from the Lord? Did he echo the refrain often heard spoken by many, where are you God; where are you in all of this? The obvious answer is, he is where he has always been and continues to do what he is always doing; working in the lives of those he loves and bringing to completion his plan and purpose for all his creation. All will be done in his perfect timing.

In God’s perfect timing, He remembered Noah and all the animals. In his perfect timing the waters receded and the sun came out. In God’s perfect timing the earth dried and God spoke to Noah and said, “Come out of the ark…”

What’s the message of Noah to those of us who are following God and find ourselves going through a storm of monumental proportions or a time of spiritual dryness?  We are to keep the faith and wait for God’s perfect timing. Regardless of whatever is going on in our lives, God continues to love us and continues to work in our lives. We are not alone now and will never be alone in the future. God is with us and in us and around us. We are HIS and HE is ours. The routine of life with all its regularity continues to be a part of God’s plan. The part we play is to continue to obey his Word, follow his Spirit and let “His Way” be our way (Pr 3:5-6; Phil 2:13).

Do you need a turning point in your journey of faith? Have you been waiting faithfully? Remember, God has always been faithful to his children; he has been faithful in the past; He will continue to be faithful in the future.

The same wind he caused to blow over the earth bringing deliverance to Noah can blow over you and bring relief to your troubled spirit. The Hebrew word for wind, ruakh, is often translated “Spirit” (Gen 1:2; 6:3) and God’s Spirit can quicken your spirit and cause you to look up and rejoice in the storm clouds and the desert places because you know who is in control. At the proper time, GOD WILL REMEMBER YOU!

I am including four scripture passages for you to read that will hopefully be a great encouragement to those of you going through a time of not hearing a Word from the Lord for a while:   

1.  Genesis 19:29 (NIV) So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

2.  Genesis  30:22 (NIV) Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.

3.  Exodus 2:24 “God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.”

4.  1 Samuel 1:19-20 (NIV) Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.  So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son…” 

God is the God of the second chance; He is also the God who remembers. What do you want Him to remember in your behalf? Write it out and trust him to spiritually blow it away.

Heavenly Father, remember me in the following:__________________________________________________.

Thank you for loving me and implanting your faithful Spirit within me. Thank you for saving me and making me new. I love you and will now wait on you and for your perfect timing in answer to my prayer. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Did the Lord speak to you today?  Why not write it down and claim it for His Glory.

Prayer:  What do you need to pray to the Lord today? Listen to your heart. He loves you!