Noah & Us

 From David Livingstone--Noah's preaching was a failure.

  Never before had that thought crossed my mind.  I know the story of Noah like the back of my hand, yet not once have I thought of him as an evangelist.  Yet Noah had a story to tell before the flood, but no one would listen.  When the rains came, only Noah's family was convinced, and perhaps only out of duty to their father.

  I wonder if Noah lay awake deep into the night, as the boat creaked and the wakes gently rocked the animals to sleep, wondering if there was more he could have done.  Perhaps he wondered if he had preached more, if he had just asked one more time, if more people might have been saved.  Maybe he thought about all those friends that had perished, and wondered what he might have done to prevent it.  Maybe he saw himself as a failure, rather than a faithful follower.

  Obviously, this is all conjecture, but I find it fascinating.  David Livingstone was referring to Noah in the context of his own failures to win throngs to Christ--he saw it as laying the groundwork for those who would come later, just as the story of Noah, though perhaps viewed as a failure at the time, has grown into one of the most well-known and loved stories of our time.  But in the midst of the storm, it's hard to look at life through God's perspective.

  What does this mean for us?  Mostly, it means that salvation does not depend upon us.  It means that God is working out the redemption of all of creation, and none of it depends on how well we preach, live, teach and pray.  It all depends on God, and God is always faithful.

  This doesn't let us off the hook, allowing us to live a carefree existence with little stress or concern for our fellow travelers in life.  It just changes our angle--we do not live, work, preach and teach in order to save souls--we do it because God has already done a mighty work, and out of gratitude we go forth to spread the Good News.  God will use our actions, our lives, as a small part in the grand story of redemption.  But let us not believe that if we fail, all is lost.  God uses our failures and our grand triumphs, each moment of our lives, to do a mighty work.  May we set down our burdens of self-dependence and self-sustenance and join in the grand praise song that all of creation is singing, recognizing that because God is faithful, all is never lost.