“Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation…So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.” (Gen 7:1, 16).
In Divine Movement part one, we looked at how God moved Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2).” God moved the earthly parents of Christ to carry out God’s Divine plan for Christ. I recently received a touching testimony from someone that shared that she believes at this time that God is divinely moving her to a new location which seems, untimely, senseless, and difficult.
Imagine what Noah must have felt like as perhaps the first person to experience God’s Divine movement. Noah is instructed to build an ark. Noah, had never seen an ark before, and although God gave him the blueprints for the project it also had never rained before. At this time in history there was a water canopy that covered the earth which God would tear open “the windows of heaven” as release upon the earth. God decides that He is going to flood the whole world, and that he would save Noah, his family, and a host of animals, all because of the righteousness of Noah. Who could say that God does not notice ones character? It was not Noah’s works of building the ark that saved Noah, but it was God’s grace that saved Noah as Noah’s character pleased God.
When I was reading this account in Genesis, I saw something that I had never seen before. At the end of the verse of Genesis 7:16, it reads, “…and the Lord shut him in.” It sounds to me that since their was no one that was going along with Noah before the flood took place, other than his family, there was no one that would have shut Noah into the ark. No one supported Noah in God’s Divine movement upon his life. I think it is safe to say that this shows us that there will be times when God will move you in a direction that many will not understand, or support you in because frankly they have not seen or heard of anyone doing what you feel that God is calling you to do. When you walk by faith in obedience to God’s call you may only have a few that go along with you, but like Noah, that is all you need. You may be disappointed of the many that do not see the truth, and perhaps even mock you for your move, but remember who shut Noah in, it was God. God sealed the door of what He was calling Noah to do. God has a way of sealing the move that He calls you to, even when others go the other way. I imagine that Noah’s move was unpopular with the locals, who were about to swallow the ocean unto their death, but perhaps that is way Jesus said, “many are called, but few are chosen.” Can you walk with the few that will go with you? I cringe at the many that will call out to the Lord on Judgment Day, “Lord, Lord,” only to hear, “Depart from Me, I never knew you, you worker of iniquity.” The famous song says, “Though none go with me, still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back.”
Is God moving you? Are you going willingly by faith even though the move may be unpopular with most? Remember, God will seal the door that He has called you to walk through.
Until the nets are filled…Blessings, Pastor Phil <><
He Has Magnified His Word 