Devotion on Genesis 7 - Then the Lord Shut Him In

Scripture: Genesis 7:16

Then the Lord shut him in.

This is the sentence we read in Genesis 7:16. The verse before it says that the animals "came to Noah and entered the ark."

Noah didn't have to go out and find the animals; they came to him! And he didn't even have to shut the door of the ark; God did it!

Can you imagine if Noah had needed to go out and find all those animals? Could he have done it if God hadn't helped him? How long would it have taken to track down those animals, and which ones would he have forgotten to include in his list?

Could he have shut the door of the ark if he had tried? Being such a large vessel, and needing such a large opening for the taller or wider of the animals, he might not have been able to lift the door after constructing it on the ground.

So,  what did Noah do? He did his part by building the ark, and then, he let God do His part. Noah didn't try to do more than he could. He didn't try to force the animals in or strain his muscles lifting something he simply couldn't lift. He did what he could and let God do the rest.

Are there areas in your life where you need to stop trying to do more than you can and let God do the rest?

If we are obedient to Him, just as Noah was, He will show Himself to be God by taking over what we can't accomplish ourselves. A major part of spiritual growth is learning to cooperate with God without trying to take His role on ourselves. There are things that only God can do for us and in us, and sometimes, we make more progress when we become more passive in the partnership and let Him be more active.

Cooperate; don't co-opt.