Today’s Devotional: “Outrageous Faith”

Thinking about Noah and the Ark, I began to wonder about how outrageous faith is.

Faith is something that’s completely against all reason and logical thought. This is seen in its description.

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Basically, we’re told to believe without concrete evidence. But without this kind of faith, we’re also told we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6).

This is the faith Noah had, and the faith required for our righteousness.

 “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

Noah lived in a world so wicked that God couldn’t take it any longer. So He said to Noah, “I’m going to destroy all flesh, but I’ll save you and your family, along with a remnant of all animal life.” (Genesis 6:18-19, paraphrased).

God then gave Noah the dimensions of a very large boat because He was going to wipe out all other life in a flood.

Can you imagine Noah trying to grasp the immensity of this? God was going to send a cataclysmic flood that would wipe out all life, and he was supposed to build a humongous boat that would become a floating zoo.

That’s all Noah was told, and without supporting evidence, he was to accept it as fact. So Noah moved out of total reverence for God, “godly fear,” and for the next 100 or so years, he followed God’s directions and built the ark, even as his neighbors mocked and ridiculed him.

God has given us a word of promise. It is finished, it is enough, and by faith, God asks us to stand upon it. Yes, it’s outrageous, but it’s the only kind of faith that pleases Him.