October 4

Noah’s Hope Chest

On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark (Genesis 7:13).

Scripture: Genesis 7:11-16

Song: “Speak, O Lord”

Before I was married, my family threw me a wedding shower. Wow, was I surprised! I opened gifts of dishes, towels, and other things I would need to set up house. After the shower, we packed the things away in a plastic storage tub that we laughingly called the “hope chest” since I didn’t have a traditional cedar-lined wooden chest. Even though it wasn’t fancy, that tub held just as well the things my husband-to-be and I needed for our future life in our own home.

In a similar way, God gifted Noah and his family with the “hope chest” of an ark equipped with all they would need for life on the ark and obedience to God’s commands. And for us, God supplies what we need for life and our obedience to His instruction for our lives. We have the Holy Spirit and Scripture. We are given the church community to help sustain us. Obedience may not be easy, but we are capable of obeying because of God’s thorough and constant equipping.

Dear Lord, thank You for equipping me for obedience. May I say “yes” to obeying You. In Your name, amen.