Corrie Ten Boom and her family are well known for hiding Jews in their home during World War II. They were eventually found out, arrested, and sent to the concentration camps. Her father was sent to a separate camp for the men and died while imprisoned. Her sister also died while imprisoned. After Corrie was freed in 1944 (reportedly due to a clerical error), she wrote two books and often spoke at churches. It is said that she would say, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to the known God.”

We must not let go of the promises of God during the storms we face.

Remembered, not Forgotten (8:1-19)

Genesis 8:1 says God remembered Noah on the ark and He brought an end to the flood. Look at the timeline in chapter 8.

The sources of the water were stopped and began to subside (8:2-3)
The waters had decreased significantly after 150 days (8:3)
The ark rests on land (8:4). Seeing the flood began on the 2nd month (7:11) and the ark rests on land on the 7th month (8:4), we can conclude that Noah and his family were floating in the ark for 150 days or 5 months (using a 30 day month model).
By the tenth month, the tops of mountains were visible (8:5).
40 more days pass and then Noah sends out a raven and a dove to search for dry land (8:7-9).
7 more days of waiting and then Noah sends another dove search party out. The dove returns with an olive leaf (8:10-11)
Another 7 days of waiting, a dove is sent again, but it never returns (8:12)
In total, Noah and his family were in the ark for 377 days. The flood began on the 17th day of the 2nd month of Noah’s 600th year and remained until the 27th day of 2nd month of Noah’s 601st year (8:13-14).
Noah, his family, and all the animals leave the ark at God’s direction (8:15-19).

God remembered! Noah and his family were on the ark for over a year, but they were not forgotten. God remembered Noah and protected Him through the storms of the flood. God remembered Noah and encouraged him with stopping and receding the flood waters. God remembered Noah and brought the massive ark to rest on land. God remembered Noah and let him see the tops of mountains after 240 days of living in the ark. God remembered Noah and gave him the encouragement of an olive leaf to assure him the water was subsiding. God remembered Noah and told him to enter the ark, and He told him when to leave the ark.

God is faithful in the worldwide flood storm! God remembered Noah in the extreme of all storms, and He will continue to remember you as well! He will not forget about or forsake you in your hurting or in your sorrow. God is at work in caring for you through your storm.

God has not forgotten me! He remembers me with His grace, love, and mercy.

Rehearse this truth throughout your day and repeat it with conviction…like you believe it!

Worship, not Rebellion (8:20-22)

The last 3 verses of chapter 8 reveal the first time the Bible references building an altar to the Lord and that the first recorded act of Noah (after stepping on dry ground) was worship. Noah offers sacrifices of some of the clean animals and birds in worship to God (pointing forward to the need of atonement and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross). Since there were only 7 pairs of every clean animal in all the world, these sacrifices would have been very costly to Noah. Noah is choosing an act of faith and showing that he believes God will provide for His family. God then responds to Noah’s worship with a promise to never destroy all living things again and that the seasons of creation…summer, autumn, winter, and fall…will continue as long as the earth continues (8:21-22)!

In 1970, the crew of the Apollo 13 spent days wondering if they would ever make it home after an explosion crippled their spacecraft. When they finally splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, there was overwhelming relief and gratitude.

Surviving a crisis has a way of changing your perspective. Of all the things Noah could have done after leaving the ark, he chose to worship the Lord! Look at what we learn about worship from Noah:

Worship ought to be our first response after God’s salvation. Turn to God in gratitude before you turn to anything else for stability and direction.
Worship involves giving something costly. Convenience seems to be the higher priority of our day; however, our worship is not about convenience. It includes sacrifice. Noah’s worship cost him something!
Worship recognizes God’s mercy. God saved Noah and his family. Noah was not sinless, but he still chose to worship. We do not wait to come to God when we have our act together and cleaned ourselves up. Our worship is not based on our perfection (who we are). Our worship is based on who God is!
Worship sharpens our focus after we endure crisis. Noah steps off the ark and into a renewed world. It was a lot to take in! Noah’s time of worship reminded him that God is the source of life. Worship is how we acknowledge God is Lord over everything!
Worship leads us to trust God’s continued provision. After Noah worshipped, God reaffirmed the stability of creation in 8:21-22. Worship reminds us of God’s sovereignty.

Promise, not Judgment (9:1-29)

God establishes a new covenant marked by a rainbow. This is the first covenant in scripture. Let’s look at the highlights in chapter 9.

9:1, 7- God commands mankind to start having children, build strong families, spread out to fill the earth, and to continue living under God’s blessing.
9:5, 6- Mankind is made in God’s image, so human life is sacred. Because of this, murder is forbidden.
9:11- God promises to never again destroy all living things with a flood.
9:12-17- The sign God gives for this covenant is the rainbow.

Back in the summer of 2000, my wife and I had just started planting a new church. We were young, inexperienced, and had a lot to learn. Those years were hard, but God also gave us many powerful answers to prayer and grew our faith.

Extended family came to visit us at the beginning of that journey, and they were able to worship with our very, very small church before leaving for home. After the worship service, and after we finished storing all of our portable church equipment, we came outside and saw a rainbow. My brother ran up to our car, pointed to the rainbow, and said, “Look at that rainbow! God is reminding you that His promises are still true today!!”

At the end of the crisis Noah and his family went through, God made a promise and sealed it with a rainbow. God has never gone back on this promise or any other promise He has made in scripture! What crisis or impossibility are you facing today? Never stop rehearsing God’s promises. He will be true to His word! Here are some promises and assurances in Noah’s life:

God will not forget His people. Gen. 8:1; Is. 49:15-16; Heb. 13:5
God allows newness after judgment or hardship. Gen. 8:16-18; Lam. 3:22-23; II Cor. 5:17
God will receive worship from broken places. Gen. 8:20; Ps. 34:18; Heb. 13:15
God promises stability for the unstable. Gen. 8:22-23; Jer. 31:35-36; Col. 1:17
God promises mercy when we deserve judgment. Gen. 9:11; Ps. 103:10-12; Rom. 8:1
God allows us to see visible reminders of His faithfulness. Gen. 9:13; Josh. 4:6-7; Lk. 22:19

God was faithful to fulfill Genesis 3:15 at the cross in John 19. God was faithful to take our suffering, when we really deserved it. God was faithful to die to satisfy our sin’s judgment and faithful to rise from the dead to conquer all sin – and God is still faithful today!

Are you weary and troubled today? Do feel like you can see no light in the darkness? There is life that is more abundant and free with Jesus! So, turn your eyes on Jesus! Look in His wonderful face and you will see the things of this earth grow strangely dim when you are surrounded with His glory and grace.