Noah

By Jeremy Writebol

What does believing in something invisible or impossible really look like? If you can’t see it or envision what it could be, how does “believing in it” actually demonstrate itself in your life?

From time to time I like to enliven my son’s understanding of history by throwing in what I call “false facts,” to spice up the lessons. While I get a chuckle out of it, I’ve learned that it can be a bit of a problem for my son if I don’t make the line between make-believe and reality very clear. Case in point was the time my son announced that after Captain Cook sailed the Pacific Ocean, he took his fortune and invested in the business endeavors of his brother, one Captain Crunch, thus helping him to become one of the greatest cereal moguls of all time. The point is that my son actually believed my fable and was so confident in it, he repeated it and shared it with others. His belief translated into action.

When we talk about trusting God, we can often come up against the same challenge. How does someone actually show that their belief has real bearing on the whole of their life, not merely their mind? Noah’s life shows a belief—or faith—that goes beyond mental agreement, displaying itself in every arena of life. Noah’s belief in God’s Word poured out of his life into confident action.

When we find Noah just a few chapters into Genesis, we discover the comprehensive wickedness of the entire world. Everyone, everywhere, was corrupt. And then God spoke. God declared a promise and a command for Noah to believe and obey (Genesis 6:11–18). How do we know that Noah really believed this word from God is true? It’s written all over Noah’s life. Trust in God shows itself in obedient action.

“Rain will come and flood the earth, so build an ark with these specific blueprints.” Noah did it.

“Go into the ark, you and your entire household, and all the animals I have commanded.” Noah did it.

“Go out from the ark with all the animals and your entire family.” Noah did it.

The repetitive cycle here shows us what faith really looks like. Belief is more than just mental agreement with a statement. True faith displays itself in the follow-through of obedience.

The contrast between Noah and the people of his day is staggering. Where the world raged in chaos and disobedience against the Lord, Noah stood firm with his trust in God. It was said that “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God” (v.9).

The story of Noah shows us what a person of faith in action really looks like. It’s worth asking ourselves, What does faith in action look like in my life? How can I demonstrate my trust in God?

Noah walked with God. May it be so with us.