This week, as many families gather and celebrate Thanksgiving, some will go around the table and share something they’re thankful for. In those conversations, one theme will remain consistent for God’s people: God is faithful, and we give thanks to him.
The next chapter of Noah’s story in Genesis 8-9 reveals much we can thank God for. These chapters reveal to us the great goodness, faithfulness, justice, and mercy of God. They reminds us that God is always faithful to keep his promises.
God Remembers and Preserves
As Noah and all those in the ark are floating on the waters, God remembers Noah (Gen 8:1). This doesn’t imply that God had forgotten about Noah. The exact opposite is going on. The point is that God did not forget about Noah. He remembered Noah the entire time he was floating on the waters. God was fulfilling his covenant promise to keep those in the ark alive.
God continues this faithfulness as he makes a wind blow over the earth and the waters begin to subside. God will bring Noah and those in the ark safely through the waters to a new beginning on dry ground. Our God never forgets his promises. He is always faithful.
In these verses, we should behold the faithfulness of our God. God preserves Noah just as he said. Nothing can thwart his faithfulness. Through his salvation of Noah, God was faithfully keeping the promise made Genesis 3:15, preserving the offspring of the woman until the Promised One came to crush the serpent’s head.
God’s Faithfulness in Jesus Christ
As we behold God’s covenant faithfulness to Noah, we should remember God’s faithfulness he has shown us in Jesus Christ. In Christ, we too are brought safely through the waters of death and God’s judgment. We look forward to a new beginning, a new creation, and we can know God will faithfully keep all of his promises to bring us there.
We should give thanks to the Lord for his faithfulness today. In Jesus, we have so many promises, and God will be faithful to keep every single one of them. Nothing will stop him from keeping his promises to you. Thus, we should be a people of great gratitude because of the great faithfulness of our God.
We can give thanks in all circumstances because every circumstance of our lives will show in the end that God is faithful. Even in the hardest times of our life, we can give thanks. Even when it seems like we’re floating on the waters and we don’t know where God is—even in those times, God is faithful, and he will turn every moment for his glory and for our good.
Give Thanks
Take time this week to look back at the past year and consider how God has revealed his faithfulness to you. Ask yourself: where have I seen God’s faithfulness this year?
Write it all down. Share it with family and friends. What better way to spend a part of Thanksgiving week than writing down ways you’ve seen God be faithful to you?
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1)
This post was adapted from the sermon below:
