40 Days of Faith: Day 5

Hebrews 11:7 -- By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

There is no motivation in my life like the motivation I have for my family. It is one of my primary drivers because of my desire to provide, protect, and prepare them for launching out into the world. If you are a parent, or even hope to have kids someday, I am sure that you can understand this sentiment.

 As we dig deeper into Hebrews 11, the writer points his finger at Noah, the man who built the boat and survived the global flood. It may have been a while since you studied up on Noah, so let me do a brief summation to make sure we are on the same page.

Genesis 6 opens with commentary on the way things are going and basically grades mankind with an F on the report card. It says, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD,” (Genesis 6:5-8).

If you keep reading the story in Genesis, you see that Noah is instructed to build an ark and then bring every type of living creature on the earth, two by two, into the ark. He was also instructed to bring in his sons and their wives, and it was here, they all would ride out this devastating flood event that would bring judgment upon the earth for the wicked ways of the human race.

Like Noah’s day, we live in a time of increasing wickedness simply because of exposure and ease of access to it. From a consumption standpoint, we can get on our phones, computers, tablets, or connected televisions and access news and world events, as well as all sorts of evil. Yes, we can see war and reports from the front lines, as well as firsthand footage on sites like X, TikTok, or YouTube, where the event is uploaded within moments of it happening. We can also access pornographic material for free, and social media companies push soft pornography onto the phones of our teens. We can bet online on sporting events. Our minds can be shaped in how to think through headlines, social media influencers, and messages pushed to our phones.

I’m not condemning the emergence of the smart phone, connected televisions, or the existence of the internet. In the same ways that they can be used for evil, they can also be used for good. But I am saying that we should understand that the barriers to wickedness have been stripped away by knowing a password or simply putting your face in front of a camera to unlock the phone.

Notice what we can learn about Noah’s faith that saved his family. Genesis 6:9 states, “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

I want to home in on the words righteous and blameless. The word righteous means upright, one who is a person of integrity. The word blameless means without malice. It does not mean perfect but instead tries to convey the motivation behind one’s actions. You can miss the way, but the motivation behind missing the way is still good and upright. Then it says, “Noah walked with God.” We saw in our time yesterday that Enoch walked with God and we learned that walking with God is simply using one’s feet to take steps forward.

Noah, like Enoch, understood that to protect his family, provide for them, and prepare to launch them out into the world he witnessed around him, he needed to walk with God. He did this by caring about what God said and acting upon it in contrast to how the world around him was trying to progress.

As Noah walked with God, God spoke to him. God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh…Behold, I will destroy them with the earth,” (Genesis 6:13). Noah walked with God, listened to his voice, and took action to protect his family from the devastation and ruin that sinful living was certain to bring.

I would argue that this is the very same thing that we must do. When we walk in faith, we seek to progress by walking with God and listening to his voice. As we do this, we will see danger ahead, because his righteous ways will be contrasted with the wickedness all around us. We will be emboldened to take stands to protect our families and seek to see our household spared the pain and devastation of sin.

As we wrap up our time together today, take a few moments to consider where you may not be seeing devastation or ruin out in front of you or your family. Might there be some areas that need reform before it’s too late?

Noah’s life reminds us that faith is not passive—it is reverent fear that listens to God’s warning and acts to protect what matters most. He built an ark when the skies were still clear, trusting God’s word about things “not yet seen.” In a world that normalizes sin and celebrates rebellion, our call is the same: to walk with God, to take His warnings seriously, and to lead our families with faith-fueled courage. Today, ask yourself: What steps of obedience is God calling me to take to protect and prepare my household? Don’t wait for the storm to hit—start building your “ark” now.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for the example of Noah, who trusted Your word and acted in reverent fear to save his family. Teach me to walk with You daily, to listen carefully to Your voice, and to lead my household with courage and faith. Show me where danger lies ahead and give me wisdom to guide my family toward righteousness. May my obedience bring You glory and create a legacy of faith for those who come after me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.