“Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord”

Understand What it Means to Find Grace in the Eyes of Our Heavenly Father

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
~ Genesis 6:8 ~

And thus Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord; for Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generation; and he walked with God, as did also his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
~ Moses 8:27 ~

The people of Noah’s time were so wicked, they had, “a double degree of wickedness, whereby they made God to be their enemy”
~ Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews vol. 1, Chapter 3 ~

In spite of the wickedness around him, Noah was a righteous young man. He was ordained to the priesthood by his grandfather, Methuselah, and was called by the Lord to teach the gospel. The Lord told him “My Spirit shall not always strive with man. If men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them.” Noah knew the people did not want to be told they were unrighteous, but he obeyed the Lord and called the people to repentance. The people laughed and scorned Noah. They did not want to repent, and they did not believe that they could be destroyed by a flood.
~ Noah and the Ark – Liahona, September 1984 ~

In Word: Wickedness abound in the days of Noah. Every vain imagination permeated the hearts and minds of those who refused to repent. The Savior pointed out that when he comes again – it will be a day and time liken unto those days of Noah (Matthew 24:36-39). A period of all manner of wickedness abounding. Puffed up hearts, minds, and hearts that no longer desire to seek after God and His righteousness. Yet, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was righteous, preached repentance, and maintained an intimate relationship with God. He was faithful and obedient to the will of the Lord. And when the time came for him to do the work of building the ark, Noah was faithfully committed to follow the directions given. The will and desire of the Lord was revealed unto this man of righteousness. Through Noah – there will come a brief period of rest from all that which bore wickedness. Through Christ, we come to find everlasting peace and rest from the carnal mind and vain imaginations of our own hearts.

In Deed: Each one of us are called to repent and to seek forgiveness. In doing so, we too may find grace in the eyes of Christ. A grace that brings peace and comfort to our hearts, mind, and soul. Despite the prevailing wickedness where there is rejection of God’s servants, complacency and devotion to worldliness, vain imaginations and thoughts that perpetuate evil, corruption and violence (Moses 8:18, 20-28). Much like the longsuffering of God waited for 120 years (1 Peter 3:20) for men to come unto repentance and experience the sweet taste of the Tree of Life (Jesus Christ); we to are experiencing a period of God’s longsuffering toward all who are willing to hearken unto the voice of His servants, repent, seek forgiveness, and come unto Christ and follow Him.

The grace of God preserves us from the wrath of justice meted out unto those who are workers of iniquity (Psalm 5:4-5). These are individuals who have given themselves over to a life dedicated to pursuing worldly lusts and desires. It is the reason the Apostle Paul declared that God gave them up to a debased mindset (Romans 1:18-32). It is the very reason we ought to not fear and be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For it gives us hope and refuge. It provides us with rest in times of turmoil.

Take a Moment and Ponder: What does it mean for you to find grace in the eyes of Christ and our Heavenly Father? How have you experienced the grace of God in your life? How does this give you peace of mind and heart in these troubling and turbulent times? What does it mean to find rest in Christ?