01 Mar The Lord Shut the Ark’s Door
Genesis 7:16b – And the Lord shut him in.
No matter how many times you’ve read the account of Noah and the ark, it’s likely this may be a detail that you could’ve overlooked. If someone had asked you who shut the door to the ark, would you have known the answer?
In Genesis 7:16, this short little sentence tells us that it wasn’t Noah or anyone from his family who shut the ark, but it was God Himself who shut the door. If you think about it, this was the most merciful way to do it.
For 120 years, Noah had preached to his friends, family, those he was building the boat with, anyone he met, and he prepared for the Flood, but no one repented or chose God. Imagine being inside the ark and what you might’ve heard outside as it started to rain and people started to panic, realizing that Noah wasn’t crazy and that they should’ve listened to him and repented. It may have been quite emotional to overhear this from outside and realize you aren’t able to let them in.
This is very similar to the way that we have the chance to share the opportunity for a relationship with Jesus with our friends, family, coworkers, and anyone God lays on our heart to speak to. There may be someone you’ve been praying for for years that still hasn’t accepted Christ and you feel like, if you just try a little harder, you may be able to help them see the truth.
The truth is, only God can save. While He uses us to physically speak to others on earth about Him, He’s ultimately the one that does the saving. Much like the way He shut the door to the ark, He will be the one who decides when time expires for us to tell others about Him and for Christians to be taken to Heaven and non-believers to eternal torment.
If we were the ones to decide the time in which Jesus would return for the final judgment, we could always think of one more person or one more opportunity we wish we had. The fact that God makes the decision should, instead, give us urgency to share Him with as many people as we can before the end of time comes.
What does the flood reveal about the inevitable fate of those who persist in sin without repentance? Who does not know Christ that you can be praying for and speaking with about Jesus?
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