So many times we say that we can’t serve God because we aren’t whatever is needed. We’re not talented enough or smart enough or whatever. But if you are in covenant with Jesus Christ, He is responsible for covering your weaknesses, for being your strength. He will give you His abilities for your disabilities! –Kay Arthur, Bible teacher and author
But God remembered Noah . . . Genesis 8:1 (NASB)
Noah had a crazy time of it. That’s for sure. Forty days and forty nights of constant, heavy rain would dwarf any of our worst camping experiences. In the midst of seemingly endless days, dwelling in the sunless hull of a manure-filled boat aimlessly adrift on a lonely sea, more than once Noah might have seriously doubted whether he would ever see the birth of a new and better world. If Noah didn’t have such faith struggles, he was probably hounded by family members who did.
As Noah’s adventure came to an end, God reaffirmed the blessing of fruitfulness first given in the garden of Eden, and then promised never to flood the entire earth again. In the process, He established the rainbow as a sign of this unconditional promise (Genesis 9:1-17). Heaven has before it a constant reminder of God’s covenant relationship with the Earth and all of its inhabitants (Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 4:3, 10:1). Not that they are needed—God’s faithfulness is at the very core of His nature. We are the ones who need to be reminded because we are so apt to drift into doubt, fear, and anxiety.
The New Covenant
Noah’s covenant story of salvation provides invaluable insight for those of us who are children of God through faith in Christ. Peter wrote that Noah’s experience is a picture (type) of water baptism into Christ (1 Peter 3:18-22). Through faith in His atoning sacrifice on the cross, we are washed of wicked stains, previously indelible due to our sins. Clothing ourselves in Christ’s robe of righteousness, we receive amazing—though undeserved—favor with the Creator of the Universe. Through baptism, we surrender control of our lives to our Lord and Savior, trusting Him to raise us up into a new and higher life. This is the essence of the blood covenant commonly known as the New Covenant.
Covenant Promises
On a personal level, understanding the nature of our covenant relationship with God has been instrumental in helping me to abide in His peace throughout the rigors of my faith journey. I am no stranger to inner turmoil. Through much of my life, I have battled against a sense of inadequacy from within and a host of adversities from without. One spring day many years ago, I was fishing at a local lake, but my mind was lost in struggle. I felt beyond hope; the dark storm clouds overhead served as an appropriate metaphor for my inner anguish. Suddenly, a double rainbow formed in the distance, its brilliance highlighted by the dark gray clouds in the background. What a reminder that, even in my extreme weakness, I was still His child!
About twenty years later, Debi and I began our new ministry with very little money and only a small base of support. Soon after, we were graciously given a well-built house next to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) campus to use as a ministry center. The problem was that we didn’t have any money to make renovations and bring the building up to code. Still, we pressed forward as the finances trickled in.
One afternoon, a thunderstorm passed through as I raked gravel to complete the new parking area. Our renter, Sharon, approached me with an envelope she had just pulled from the mailbox. A beautiful rainbow spread across the sky just as I pulled out fifty dollars in cash. Through that anonymous gift, my heavenly Father reminded me that He was still my covenant provider! He continued to meet every need as we completed that entire renovation project without borrowing a penny. Just as God had remembered Noah, so too, He remembered us.
God’s Faithfulness
In addition to learning to stand on the promises of God, three things have helped to remind me of God’s faithfulness to His covenants. The rainbow is one. My water baptism experience is another. Serving as my initiation ceremony into the New Covenant, I can always recall that experience during those times when I doubt the nature of my relationship with Christ the Savior. Finally, for my ever wandering heart, communion serves as an intentional, ongoing reminder of Christ’s absolute devotion. Heaven needs no reminders of God’s covenant faithfulness to His children, but if we are to abide in His peace, we most certainly do.
This post is drawn from Chapter Thirty-Eight of Bob’s devotional: Champions in the Wilderness—Fifty-Two Devotions to Guide and Strengthen Emerging Overcomers
