And then Noah got drunk. (Just curious - did he even know that wine can cause drunkenness??) His sons' responses to this incident had significant consequences for the future. Ham, his youngest, was cursed by his father for dishonoring him, and from his bloodline came Canaan, Egypt, Nineveh, the Philistines, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the city of Babel, among others. Not a great legacy. But from Shem's bloodline came Abraham, David, and ultimately Jesus.
We're at the beginning of the story, and we already see people failing to love and live as God designed, even blessed people like Noah and Ham. And it only gets worse as we continue reading.
Yet God wants us to see things differently:
"I don't want you to be afraid of failure, or you will live for success. And I don't want you to be afraid that things in your life will go wrong - they will - or that you will feel empty - you will. If you fear problems or emptiness, you will live for comfort and fulfillment. And that will just complicate the mess you've already made...
Once again, things were a mess. Everyone was living to succeed, to make their lives comfortable and fulfilling. No one was paying attention to My design for the truly good life.
But I have a plan. I always do. " 66 LLI have been afraid of failure. I AM afraid of failure. My sinful definition of success has changed over the years, but it includes (or has included) accomplishments, security, money, comfort, possessions, an image of competence, obedient children, no public displays of weakness, and having everything under (my) control.
I have to keep reminding myself that God isn't after my good behavior or having me "act like a Christian." My behavior is not His ultimate goal. God's purpose isn't to give me what I want or to make my life easy. Even as a believer, I realize that I've often been focused on the wrong things, the seen versus the unseen.
"If you focus on the smaller story of your life from your natural birth to your natural death, you will misunderstand everything that really matters. You'll mistake your joys and sorrows for the fullness of real joy that lies ahead and of real sorrows you'll never experience. Things that feel awful to you will be seen as nothing other than tragedies to reverse if possible, endure if necessary, and at all costs prevent from happening again." 66 LLThat intrigues me! I want to immerse myself in the Grand Story that God is telling, not my smaller story. I don't want to just make life work, although that path feels very compelling most of the time.
The more I hear God's story through His Word and see glimpses of His heart toward me, something stirs deep in my heart and I long for more. How about you? How are you feeling as we dive into Genesis?
7 comments:
I completely identified with the author's (Crabb's) response to the Lord in light of Genesis. Confusion, misunderstanding, sometimes speechless, and my own misidentification of who I am and WHOSE I am (probably grammatically-challenged there).
The part that has me reeling, though, are the comforts and fulfillments I seek daily. I completely identify with yours, Cici. I am pondering this new truth as I go about my daily activities and am still trying to figure out how to let go of those things I cling to, and how to NOT fear failure. I believe this attempt at some sort of mental "rearrangement" has me in a quiet, little, personal funk.
Lisa here, (gotta get my pic up).
I agree with your comments about the comfort and fulfillment I seek daily. It hit me as well. I struggle with this.
God, "my list" often overshadow You daily. I don't want this. Help me! I'm here, I'm available, keep my ears, my mind, and heart open to You! I don't want to stay the same.
The Tower of Babel has often haunted me because it reminds me so much of what I daily strive for:
"...to build their lives into a satisfying, organized existence without Me in the center." (66 LL)
I don't want to be satisfied with that kind of existence and yet more often than not, I am.
I agree, Cici, something is stirring deep in my heart and I long for more. And I wonder, when I feel like the people at the Tower of Babel -- like my speech is garbled and people don't understand me and I'm getting that confused look from my husband or friends -- is that God keeping me from seeking my own way so that I would turn to Him to be satisfied.
Great comments ladies! Thanks for stirring my heart to think more deeply.
I love how ch. 9 describes one of the first covenants God made with man: "never again will everything be living destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth." Then God creates a rainbow to remind us of His promise, His unchanging Word.
I know that there are numerous other covenants, or binding agreements, that God makes with us that we will read about in these upcoming months...with the ultimate being Christ's blood poured out on the cross for us.
I am SO thankful that God is a God whose Word does not change, that He is trustworthy and will follow through on His commitments and promises.
If God can use a rainbow to remind us of His faithfulness, how many other images are there around us, everyday, that we so easily miss, which perhaps, are meant to be reminders of His love and faithfulness in our lives?
I am in the middle of failure and I am wrestling with God over it---no jobs, no insurance, no permanent place to live. People want successful friends not hurting ones. I am finding God showing up in ways I never thought & changing me. Loved Gen 9:23 that Noah's 2 kids walked in backwards and covered Noah's shame, his naked drunkenness. May I cover my world & offer grace not distance nor disdain to those who "miss" me, grace to those who have failed me.
i confess i am afraid of failure and being hurt on so many levels...i work very hard to make sure i have done everything 'humanly' possible not to fail or be hurt, like NOT participating in things or taking risks, or volunteering or standing up for something i believe in. i know i am supposed to trust in God in these times. in my past i have experienced so much fear and pain that i feel like i have paid my dues some what. i know as i write this it is WRONG to think but it is the protection/survival place i have fallen into...
Forgive me Lord for not trusting you!Please give me the courage to trust you fully. Amen
Post a Comment