Devotions Inspired by the Fresh Start BibleSample

God's Assignment

By Tom Lane  

Can you imagine how Noah felt when God told him all humanity was going to be destroyed and he was to build an ark? Genesis 6:8 tells us that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation, and had found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 

Even then, I think it was overwhelming for him to hear God’s command to build a ship that was 450-feet long, 75-feet wide, and 45-feet tall. After all, it had never rained on the earth, and there was no vast body of water nearby. Noah didn’t have an engineering degree or any ship-building experience. The only thing he had was a command from God. It is estimated that it took Noah between 55 and 75 years to build the ark.     

How are we to respond when God asks us to do something far bigger than we have experienced in our lives? We’re to do what Noah did when he heard God’s command—believe, obey, and walk with God one step at a time. 

As Noah walked with God in his assignment, he experienced the revelation of God through his obedience. He got to see things that only God could accomplish like the construction of a huge ship, the animals entering the ark, and his family’s survival during a flood of catastrophic proportion. God protected and provided for his family for almost a year while the earth was covered and recovering from the flood, and he witnessed the miraculous power of God firsthand. 

When we say yes to God’s command and walk with Him in our assignment, we get to experience revelation, see His mighty work, experience the orchestration of events to fulfill the work, live under God’s grace of protection and provision, and witness His miraculous power firsthand. 

Has God given you an overwhelming assignment? Will you follow Noah’s example and experience God’s work in a mighty and powerful way in your life? 

Prayer

God, thank You for the assignment You’ve given me. I choose to believe and obey Your commands in my life. I’m amazed at how You work things out for good over and over again, and I believe You will do that in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Memory Verse

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14–16