09/30/2026
Unwavering Faith
Genesis 6:3-8
3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with[a] humans forever, for they are mortal[b]; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
We all know the story and account of Noah and the boat and his family, but let me highlight something we tend to forget.
I was listening to a podcast from this morning regarding Noah and some of the points he brought up were both interesting and gave me pause.
Imagine if you had a relationship with God and for half of your life or more God asked you to do 2 things; tell others about Him and build a boat in the middle of the land nowhere near water and impossible to bring to the water. Years go by and nobody gets saved or repents from their ways and in fact they become even more evil and creating ways of wickedness. If that wasn’t bad enough you are making slow progress on this stupid boat in the middle of the land. Decades pass and the same thing; sharing your faith and evil abounds with no salvation and progress on the boat is coming along but not done yet. A century later and evil still abounds, people ignore what you have said about salvation but look at you as the entertainment and anomaly they think you are. Then all the sudden all kinds of animals migrate to this boat as a parade. Sure it is unusual but even the unusual doesn’t change the heart of the people in your community. You and your family get on the boat and water comes from the sky. Something else no one has ever seen before but it still doesn’t change the hearts of men until it is too late.
Thinking about Noah’s resolve is impressive. It begs the question it I would first be resilient enough to pray for the lost in my family and community relentlessly regardless if I see movement in their lives or not? The second question is, “would I be faithful to do a project God called me to that would require my consistency for years and decades even if I don’t have a guarantee to live long enough to see it through?”
When I reflect on this I have to come back to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. Paul talks about running the race with commitment and endurance.
Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Paul talks about fixing our eyes on Christ and running as one who is to win the prize. Sometimes a lack of endurance sidetrack ls us from focusing on the prize. But 120 years of watching the world go to hell with no interest in Godly things and you are the only one following God? I have to say that is tenacious at the least. Remember Noah and his family didn’t have the Bible, the Ten Commandments or any of the scrolls of Moses yet was accounted to have found favor in God’s eyes. He had no directions outside of instructions to build a boat that took over a century to build. He knew nothing about rain and I am sure he wasn’t a zoo keeper by trade. What Noah had was a blind faith and a wife and family who supported him and were of like mind.
As I thought further about this, I needed to ask how I can apply this unresolved faith and pushing through the things God has called me to? Here are some examples for my life.
When I look at the brokenness of my family it is easy to want to move on. In fact I have had many tell me to forget about my kids and my ex and move on. There are things I cannot control yet there are things God calls us to as well. As I look through scripture, there are three things that stand out regarding my kids.
1) “children are a gift from God and arrows in a man’s quiver.” A gift is not always something you desire but always something you need. And an arrow may help to defend you, but it is also sharp and piercing and can cause you great pain if not held right.
2) “train up a child in the way they should grow and when they get older they won’t depart from it.” The training has less to do with the initial growth. It is more about it growing upwards. Trees are not always straight. There may be another tree that falls on one and it grows with a bend or a crotch. Even with the deformity or obstructions it still strives to grow towards the sun.
3) “pray without ceasing.” This is an incredibly hard concept because just like Noah he saw no movement in 120 years. Just like Daniel it took almost half a century and a bunch of miracles for Nebuchadnezzar to come to repentance and understand who God was.
Consistency and obedience are so important when it comes to our faith, legacy and our relationship with Christ. The most defeating thing though is watching the months and years pass by with no change and feeling like hope is fleeting.
So I want to encourage you today. If you have a marriage that is struggling and it seems like all hope is lost and God isn’t moving, look at Noah and take a page from the guy who was called out in the middle of evil without even the word of God and imagine for a minute how much faith he needed in his time of uncertainty. If you are struggling with a wayward child, remember the rejection Noah experienced, but he made a place of refuge to protect his family. I may have taken a century to protect those he loved but it was that love that never gave up.
Run that race like being in first place for the prize. Train up your child so they grow to the Son and not just straight. And continue to pray in such a way that you don’t give up because you never know what God can birth in the middle of what looks like destruction!
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