12 Days of Christmas Family DevotionalSample

READ TOGETHER

Years passed after Adam and Eve left the garden, and the earth began to fill with people. But there was one BIG problem. None of these people were following God! They were all doing evil in the sight of the Lord, all the time. Except for one man and his family—Noah! God couldn’t stand to see the people so sad and angry, hurting themselves and other people, not following his way. He needed to stop the wickedness in the world, to keep having people on the earth, and to save his friend, Noah.

God told Noah to build an ark, a giant boat that was longer than a football field! Now, you might not realize that Noah lived in the desert. Can you imagine what his friends and neighbors thought? What would you think about someone building a giant boat in the middle of the desert where it barely even rained? But Noah didn’t care because God told him to build the ark and prepare it for his family and the animals. So Noah obeyed God.

When Noah finished building the ark, God told him to get his family, get the animals, and get inside. Then God shut the door. And it began to rain. It rained and rained and rained. The rivers rose and a flood covered the land. After 40 days and 40 nights, the rains stopped. Little bit by little bit, the waters went down, and finally the ark came to rest on top of a mountain. When God told Noah it was safe to come out, the first thing Noah did was to thank the Lord for rescuing them, just as he had promised.

Then, something amazing happened. God made another promise to Noah. He promised never to destroy the world again by a flood. In the sky, where Noah and his family could see it, God placed a beautiful, bright, shining rainbow. It was his way of saying, “I mean it!” Of course, God knew the people would mess up again—even Noah and his family—even us! But God already had another rescue plan in mind. One day, in a manger . . . His ultimate rescue plan would come.

TALK TOGETHER

1. What would you have thought if you were Noah and God asked you to build an ark?

2. Noah and his family obeyed God when He told them to get in the ark. What can you and your family do together to obey God?

PRAY TOGETHER 

Father God, you are a promise-keeping God. You promised not to destroy the world again by a flood, but to save it, and to save us! Help us to listen to your voice and do what you ask us to do, even when it seems crazy, just like Noah did. We love you! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.