The Place
Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.” So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. (Genesis 8:15-20)
You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)
You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)
The account of the Ark isn’t primarily about animals and very heavy rainfall. It’s about what God really wants to do in the hearts of men and women. God led Noah and his family into a new season, a new set of surroundings, a new level of dependency, and a brand new filter through which to see their lives. God hid his people away in an Ark in order to recalibrate the heart of humanity, which was corrupted by sin. And it would appear that Noah received this moment of renewal, because his first action upon stepping onto dry land was to worship the Lord his God.
When the people of God truly accept God’s invitation to start again, it prompts a deep sense of adoration and worship – regardless of how difficult the backdrop. Noah didn’t just happen to start worshipping God because his circumstances improved. He did so out of instinct because he’d already been cultivating the practice of rejoicing and surrender within the confines of the Ark throughout the Flood. Despite the trauma of the days that he was living in, Noah’s heart was so inclined towards God that every place his feet stepped became a place of worship.
We are going through our own Flood right now, through Covid-19. Noah’s life was hidden away in the security and the sanctuary of the Ark, but that Ark is a prophetic picture of the cross of Jesus, which protects us now. When your life is ‘hidden’ in Christ, then every place and season and trial – even the one that we are living through right now – becomes an opportunity to worship God and to know him better.
When the people of God truly accept God’s invitation to start again, it prompts a deep sense of adoration and worship – regardless of how difficult the backdrop. Noah didn’t just happen to start worshipping God because his circumstances improved. He did so out of instinct because he’d already been cultivating the practice of rejoicing and surrender within the confines of the Ark throughout the Flood. Despite the trauma of the days that he was living in, Noah’s heart was so inclined towards God that every place his feet stepped became a place of worship.
We are going through our own Flood right now, through Covid-19. Noah’s life was hidden away in the security and the sanctuary of the Ark, but that Ark is a prophetic picture of the cross of Jesus, which protects us now. When your life is ‘hidden’ in Christ, then every place and season and trial – even the one that we are living through right now – becomes an opportunity to worship God and to know him better.
1)Can you say that you have worshipped your way through the coronavirus crisis and the lockdown that it has brought upon you?
2)Do you have a time or place set aside in your life to worship the Lord? Perhaps a specific moment in the day or a particular park, armchair or quiet place that you retreat to regularly, to consider your salvation?
3)Be honest now – what’s currently in your life that steals or distracts your adoration for Jesus? Who or what takes up the most room in your heart? What needs to be surrendered to Jesus today?
2)Do you have a time or place set aside in your life to worship the Lord? Perhaps a specific moment in the day or a particular park, armchair or quiet place that you retreat to regularly, to consider your salvation?
3)Be honest now – what’s currently in your life that steals or distracts your adoration for Jesus? Who or what takes up the most room in your heart? What needs to be surrendered to Jesus today?
Father God, I thank you that your Son Jesus became a human being in order to create a new reality for me. Because of the grace of salvation, my life and my heart are no longer my own, but belong to you. Thank you, God, that you have poured out your Spirit on your people, so that every season and setting can be transformed into an altar of worship to you. Thank you that my life is hidden in Christ Jesus. May this thought fuel my daily worship. Amen.
If you have time, consider carrying on your conversation with God using one of our helpful Prayer Pathways.
Today’s Everyday Devotions have also inspired a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube channel.
Join our online service at everyday.online
Today’s Everyday Devotions have also inspired a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube channel.
Join our online service at everyday.online