Pray First

Read Genesis 8:15-20

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” Genesis 8:20 (ESV)

Noah had obeyed the hard thing that God called him to do—build an ark for a flood that was coming, when there likely had never been real rain before that point. People called him crazy, ridiculed him. But he obeyed. Can you imagine the struggle it was to remain faithful to a call from God that really made no logical sense? Noah stood as a testimony of the God he believed to the evil people of his day, and to his family who watched day by day as he obeyed, gathering wood and nails and food and animals. He followed in faith a God who had always been faithful to him. 

Then the flood came, big time! Noah and his family were on that boat for many months; 40 days of rain and flooding, then many more days waiting for the waters to recede. God had wiped every person and animal from the face of the earth, except those who were safe on the Ark. At the end of this difficult time, God led Noah, his family, and all the animals out of the Ark. As they ventured down the ramp to dry ground I imagine Noah must have reflected on what brought them to this moment. Surely he thought of God’s sorrow over the depravity of mankind. Now God had given humanity a second chance. Noah would be mankind’s first in a new relationship with God. 

Noah knew they must honor this new beginning with God. They must put first things first. And Noah did just that. He built an altar for worshiping and giving thanks to the Lord! Noah thanked God, honored God, worshiped God. And Noah’s sacrifice on the altar was a pleasing aroma to God.

Humanity had fallen away from God, starting with the first sin in the Garden of Eden, progressing to the point of being always evil all the time. But God intervened. His salvation of humanity began with a word of God to Noah.  

Many of us have wandered away from God at some time in our lives. And some have yet to really know God at all. How does a new relationship with God begin, especially after disappointment or trauma has flooded our life? In a sermon by Pastor Tom Richter, he spoke of three steps in returning to God. He made these points: we can’t, but God can, he can bring us back. Secondly, he says to “build the altar first.” And third, he says not to despise small beginnings. Pastor Tom takes his sermon primarily from Ezra and Nehemiah. But because the Bible is God’s holy word, these three steps remain consistent and applicable throughout the Bible.  

Here’s the thing: returning to God does not start with us. The first step in a relationship with God starts not with me, not with you, but with God. In Noah’s day, when everyone was so evil all the time, the salvation of humanity did not start with Noah saying, “Hey I think I’ll build a big boat to see if God will send a flood.” It started with God. God told Noah that he was going to destroy everyone and everything in creation. God told Noah to build an ark and fill it with his family and animals. God determined to save mankind. 

After the flood, Noah built an altar. An altar was a place where sins were atoned for by blood, a place for expressing gratitude and honor and worship to God. Before he considered his next step, his next purpose in God’s new world, Noah built an altar. He thanked God for the salvation of mankind, he worshiped him, honored him, gave him glory. The burnt sacrifice on that altar was a pleasing aroma to God because of Noah’s heart. And God made a covenant with Noah to never again curse the ground because of man. He made a covenant with Noah to never again destroy the earth with a flood, and he set the rainbow in the sky. 

The second step for us to return to God is like Noah’s: build the altar first. I don’t mean we physically stack stones and burn an animal offering. Our altar is a spiritual sacrifice to God; pray, worship, thank him, forgive others, commit to follow him in every aspect of our lives. Before we decide on a college or career, seek him first. Before we date, before we marry, seek him first. Before we move, seek him, thank him, worship him, honor him. 

Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice on an altar. He shed his blood on the cross for our salvation from sin. Let’s place ourselves on an altar to God, giving our whole selves to his will and his ways. Thank God for seeking us first, for getting our attention, for offering us salvation from our sins, and for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

The third step in returning to God is to not belittle what he calls us to do, or where he calls us to go, or what gifts he has given us. According to Derek W.H. Thomas, a Bible scholar, in an excerpt from Ezra & Nehemiah Reformed,  “We tend to exaggerate past glories and undervalue present blessings.” We often have more regard for how he has moved in our lives in the past than what we see in the present. We tend to see more value in other’s gifts and what they are doing, than we see in our own gifts and roles we are playing. When we take a step toward God don’t think little of the next thing he gives us to do. We never know how he plans to use us to impact the future.

The missionary in the jungles of Africa has his role in growing God’s kingdom. The pastor of a tiny country church has just as important a role in reaching the people in his community for God’s kingdom. The bank teller, the doctor, the grocery store clerk, the one serving food each has a role in God’s kingdom. When the Israelites returned from their Babylonian exile, they began to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed. As they stood and looked at the foundation, many who had seen the grandeur of Solomon’s temple were sad and disappointed in the small size of this new temple. Little did they know, this would be the temple where the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, would enter with Mary and Joseph to be presented to the Lord God. Whatever God has called us to do is for such a time as this, and it is important Kingdom work. 

Before we move too quickly past this Thanksgiving holiday and rush into Christmas festivities, let’s build an altar first. Let’s remember that it’s all about God and all for God. Let’s remember what Jesus did for us. Let’s tell him how thankful we are for his faithfulness in leading us through the good and bad and even through things that make no logical sense. Let’s notice all the things God has done. Let’s notice that we had food for breakfast this morning and thank Him. Let’s notice we made it safely to work or school, even if there was a ton of traffic, and say thank you. The sun rose and set, the birds chirped, the rain watered the earth, a cool breeze touched our cheek. Let’s thank him. Let’s worship Him. And let’s remember, in God’s eyes, no person is less and no gift is little.  

Read Psalm 103 and thank God for all his benefits!

Worship Song:  “I Thank God” by Maverick City Music and UPPERROOM

 

Find Tracy on Facebook at Tracy Fields Todd, Writer, and on Instagram at @tracyftodd.