Yesterday we saw in Ezekiel how God marks those who sigh and groan over the sin of their world. What does God think and feel? Genesis 6:5-6 tells us: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. “
Our God has sorrow over the sin of the world. He was even sorry that He had made men and women. What a profound revelation, that our Lord has feelings like we do. So when you feel sorrow over the state of the world, you are sharing the Father’s heart. The New Living Translation states it very poignantly, “it broke his heart”.
Therefore it is good for us to humble ourselves and to pray and seek to have grief over the state of our city and nation too. If we do not feel any grief, then we should pray for the ability to do so, for the Lord to convict our hearts.
The Lord’s decision at that time was to destroy the whole earth! “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:8, NASB) I love this verse. It is possible for one person to find favor with the Lord and to change the course of history.
The Flood portends the Day of Judgment when the world does end. Noah is a forerunner of Christ and the message of God’s grace. So while we should feel sorrow over the sin of those around us, we should not give into a natural inclination to judge those who are sinning. Our hearts and prayers should be for their repentance and redemption. We were all children of wrath ourselves until the Lord had mercy on us.
Father, please help us to feel Your own sorrow and pain over the sin of this dark world. Keep us from wanting to only be comfortable and happy with our own lives. Let us see how lost and hurting this world is, and to have a desire to see it reformed and redeemed. Lead us to pray. Show us how we can make a difference. Lord Jesus, thank you so much for leaving your wonderful glorious home in Heaven to redeem us! Help us to be more like You. Amen.
Seeking Him with you, Dave