Teaching Insight 8

Faith Insight 8: Noah—Obedience Before Visible Evidence

“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.”

— Hebrews 11:7 (ESV)

Faith sometimes __________ before visible evidence __________ what God has said.  The story begins with God speaking. God warned Noah of judgment to come and instructed him to build an ark. Then Genesis records Noah's response:  “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.”— Genesis 6:22 (ESV)

That sentence is easy to read quickly. But consider what it meant.

Noah had God's Word before he had visible confirmation. Because he trusted the One who spoke, his faith took visible form in obedience. He built.

Faith is __________ ___________, but genuine trust eventually affects outward life.  If Noah had said, “I believe what God has told me,” but had never begun building the ark, something essential would have been missing.  His actions demonstrated that he took God's Word seriously. This same principle applies to us, although our circumstances are very different from Noah's.

·      We say we believe God is trustworthy. But does that trust change what we do?

·      We say we believe forgiveness matters.  Do we forgive?

·      We say we believe prayer matters.  Do we pray?

·      We say we believe God's wisdom is better than our own. Do we follow His teaching when another path seems easier?

·      We say we believe God cares for us. Can we entrust our anxieties to Him when circumstances remain uncertain?

Living faith eventually becomes __________. Not because obedience earns God's favor. Not because our works make God indebted to us. But because genuine trust __________ the way we __________.

 Noah's hammer, we might say, became an expression of his __________.

We will not always see immediate evidence that obedience was worthwhile.

·      Sometimes faithfulness may seem unnoticed.

·      Sometimes God's promises appear distant.

·      Sometimes obedience may even make life temporarily more difficult.

But living faith does not wait until circumstances agree with God before deciding whether God can be trusted. It begins with the character of the One who speaks.

A SIMPLE PRAYER

 Father, help me not merely to say that I trust You. Teach me to take Your Word seriously enough for it to shape what I actually do. Give me courage to obey even when I cannot yet see the outcome. May my actions increasingly reflect my confidence in You. In Jesus' name, amen.