Grace Trumps Obedience

There was a man named Noah

He was mandated to build an ark

He assiduously committed to the task

Right from the very start.

It was not easy one would imagine

For this boat was very huge

But he laboured on it night and day

Due to the coming deluge.

God’s word he did not doubt

That it would rain for forty days

And so while building he also preached

To the people to change their ways.

But the people laughed him to scorn

And they continued as before

But Noah would not be deterred

And continued to preached the more.

Year after year had passed

And there was not even a trace of rain

But Noah kept on building the ark

And from his preaching did not refrain.

One could just imagine

When the first twenty years had passed

How those people must have felt

About Noah’s seagoing craft.

For there was no sea around

And not even a semblance of rain

And here was this crazy man

Building an ark in vain.

“I wonder how he would move it,”

Somebody must have thought

But none of their silly observations

Caused Noah to be distraught.

So on and on he worked

Till one hundred years had passed

And still the abuse kept on coming

But Noah stuck to the task.

  

There are some who will opine

It was Noah’s obedience that saved him

But I pause to state emphatically

That view is rather dim.

God’s word points out one and all

That before Noah had laid a plank

He had found grace in God’s own sight

It is God’s grace we have to thank.

There’s nothing that we can do

To merit the favour of God

For grace is God’s unmerited favour

And this must be spread abroad.

Noah had preached to the people around

That God would send a flood

But for one hundred and twenty years

The people against him stood.

Not one of them had repented

And had taken advantage of God’s grace

And so the flood came as appointed

And they vanished without trace.

But Noah and his immediate family

Were safe in the belly of the ark,

‘It’s time we heed the glorious message

The angelic host still bids us, “Hark!”

God’s grace is extended to one and all

As he bids us all to come in,

Would you today believe His word?

Would you be saved from your sin?

Stewart Russell © January 2018