Scripture: Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear, built an ark to save his family and by faith he condemned the world and became the heir of righteousness that comes by faith.
Devotional: This week in our devotions, as we dive into the type of person God uses, we’re taking a look at the life of Noah. He’s at the heart of one of the most recognizable Bible stories. I mean, building a massive ark and having all the animals come two by two before a flood wiped out the rest of the world is a pretty memorable feat.
But as we focus in on his life, we’re going to see there’s much more than his construction skills that caused him to be used by God. Today we start with faith. Noah made it into the Hebrews writer’s “hall of faith” because he dared to believe God and took action to build the ark – against all sensibility.
Noah and his generation, more than likely, had never seen rain before. Yet God tells Noah to build a large seagoing vessel nowhere near a body of water. And Noah simply did what God asked him to. That might be the understatement of the year, for what God asked Noah to do was in no way simple- it took years to complete. But he patiently endured, day by day, until the project was complete. This was faith in action over what was likely, decades.
We get some insight into Noah’s faith in verse 7, when it tells us “in holy fear” Noah built the ark. Noah revered God. He viewed God in all His sovereignty and holiness. And the fear of the Lord was the driver of His faith and obedience.
This kind of fear is not terror. The fear of the Lord is having such a reverential awe of God gripping your heart that you're willing to listen to His wisdom, submit to His commands, surrender your will to His will, and rest in the awesome promises of His grace. The fear of the Lord makes you run toward Him, not away from Him. It causes you to live in a way you would not live apart from Him, and it often sets you apart from others. That’s precisely what we see in Noah’s life.
Reflect:
- Consider what drives your faith. In what ways do you experience “reverential awe” of God?
- If you’d like to grow in your holy fear, consider reading “The Holiness of God” by R.C. Sproul.