52 Men of the Bible - The StudiesSample

# 2\. Noah A man of determination, focus, resolve and grit, even when all these attributes were missing in the lives around him.In Noah’s time the landscape was brutal, and law and order wasn’t on the agenda. Think about you for a moment: at work, out with the lads, on the golf course, in the lunch cabin on the building site as page 3 is left open and the banter shifts to racism again. Even the board rooms and corridors of power are never excluded from decay and corruption. In the face of chaos and the temptation to just ‘fit in’ Noah held the line, and it made all the difference. Let’s think about us today in light of the story of Noah, and what it is about our lives that makes us distinct. ## Explore Idea 1: World of chaos and disorder So, without making us depressed about the chaos we hear about, read or even know personally, the world can be a very confusing and upsetting place to live in at times. Famines, death, despair and more, it is a continual challenge to understand and process what we see in the world today. Noah’s time was not too different. Same human chaos, same devastating results. In Genesis 6:6, we see that ‘the Lord regretted that He had made human beings.’ That’s a big deal. Noah’s world was in a bad way, but that was then, this is now. Not only is our battle to not assimilate the patterns and behaviours we see, we mustn’t lose heart, hope and faith. * What gets to you about the world we live in? * Narrow the search a little, what is it about your daily life that troubles you? Idea 2: Concussive ripples Even if we don’t copy the patterns and live our lives the same, we can find ourselves locked into some equally damaging patterns of despair, faithlessness and cynicism. Anger for example about atrocities that doesn’t subside narrows the landscape and plays into the hands of quickly formed stereotypes.  Bitterness and disappointment can erode us, especially when it’s friendly fire that can come from church family and friends. All this stuff can silently work away on us, chipping at our faith, our hope, our fight to hold on with determination and grit. * Have you been able to identity things in your life that need calling out? * What was the trigger? How has this been fed and watered? * Might be good to pause now, if you need to and pray over this stuff to break it off Idea 3: Obedience Perhaps the most amazing thing about Noah was that he just obeyed God, even when that obedience meant ridicule, personal cost, frustrations and questions along the way. In 52 Men you can read about some facts about the Ark and just how long Noah was in there with the stink and noise. Chances are God isn’t going to invite you to build an ark in your garden, so what does all this mean for you and me?  I have had moments when I’ve felt compelled to respond to a financial need I can see, or I’ve had some words or a picture in my head for someone and felt the importance to share it.  I have also found myself in difficult situations where I’ve needed to say or do the right thing even though it is going to be unpopular. * Have you got examples where you have been obedient to what you feel God was saying? * How do we keep testing and exploring what it is God is saying to us? * Have you ever ignored the prompts to act and be obedient? Worth sharing? ## Action Exploring this stuff with honesty can be revealing for others and ourselves. Pray for each other, break this stuff off and start afresh in your walk with God.  Maybe spend time in prayer asking God to speak to you, to inspire you with some actions to help counter the chaos in life we so often see.