Genesis 8

Genesis eight continues the story of Noah and the great flood. After the forty days of rain, and the 150 days of flooding, God remembered Noah. I do not think that God ever forgot about him. How else would you explain Noah and all those animals being safe throughout the storm and flood? Verses 15 and 16 explain God's plan all along: recreation. He was going to recreated the world with those who were saved in Noah's ark. After Noah got out of the ark, his first response was worship. He built an altar and sacrificed some of the clean animals as an offering to God. That sacrifice pleased God, and God made a covenant that he would never curse the ground again. Remember in the fall of humanity, God did not curse humans, but rather the ground. Here, God is reversing the curse of the ground. And even though humans are still evil in their thoughts, God promises to not destroy life again.

Two words stand out in this passage. One is that God remembered Noah. God always remembers his faithful. The whole earth was destroyed, but God remembered Noah. There was nothing left, but God remembered Noah. God remembers you as well. Though it may not feel like it sometimes, God remembers you. The second word that stands out to me is God's grace. Even though we deserve death from birth, God gives us the grace to live, and ultimately the grace to live forever with God through Jesus Christ.

God, help us to live by your grace and the knowledge that you promised you would never forget us. Amen