Shut in with God
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.” ~ Genesis 7:1
This chapter in Genesis is the moment everything changed. It’s when God invited Noah into the ark, the place of protection, provision, and purpose, because of Noah’s obedience and faithfulness. What strikes me most is the tenderness in God’s words: “Come into the ark.” He didn’t say go in as though had to do this alone. He said come, because God was in that ark with them. That one word tells us we are never alone when we follow His leading.
There have been many times in my life when I felt like the world around me was falling apart. Times when I couldn’t see what was ahead, and I didn’t know how to make sense of what I was going through. But there came a moment that I clearly felt God asking me to come close to Him, shut everything else out, and just press in. That felt like my personal ark, a place where God was calling me to come and find safety in His presence. The storm didn’t stop right away, but I knew I was sheltered, and that made all the difference.
This chapter reminds me that there are times when God shuts the door on certain parts of our lives, not to punish or isolate us, but to protect us. Noah had no control over the floodwaters, but he did have control over being obedient and faithful and he had complete security and protection in the ark. Maybe right now you feel like your life has been put on pause, or things have been shut down or closed off. What if God is inviting you to come into a new season of closeness with Him, a place where He covers you and carries you until the storm passes?
Here are a few ways to know there is a place of closeness with Him:
- Recognize God’s invitation. Ask yourself what area of your life God is calling you into deeper trust.
- Respond with obedience. Noah acted quickly when God spoke. He didn’t delay or question. Be willing to follow God’s leading without needing every detail.
- Stay close during the storm. Make time each day to get quiet before the Lord, even just for a few minutes. That is your “ark” place.
- Use the “shut-in” seasons. When doors close or things change unexpectedly, ask God what He wants to show you during this time.
- Remember the rain doesn’t last forever. God shut Noah in, but He also brought him out. This season is temporary.
Get started today by following the steps below:
- Read Genesis 7 slowly, especially verses 1 and 16.
- Find a quiet spot and ask God what “ark” He is inviting you into right now and where is He calling you to rest, trust, and grow?
- Write down what you need to leave behind and what you want to take with you into this next season with God.
Today I want to encourage you to see the ark not just as a place of survival, but as a place of intimacy with your Heavenly Father. When everything around you feels uncertain, you can trust that God is inviting you to come close to Him. He’s not sending you into the unknown alone. He is already there, waiting for you to come in and rest. Let this season be one of trust, quiet obedience, and peace. The same God who shut the door is the one who holds the key to your future. Let Him carry you through.
Today’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 7
1 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.
2 Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others.
3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood.
4 Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.”
5 So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth.
7 He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives.
8 With them were all the various kinds of animals—those approved for eating and for sacrifice and those that were not—along with all the birds and the small animals that scurry along the ground.
9 They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.
10 After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.
11 When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky.
12 The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights.
13 That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives.
14 With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind.
15 Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes.
16 A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.
17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth.
18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface.
19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth,
20 rising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks.
21 All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people.
22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died.
23 God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat.
24 And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.
Journal:
- What is God inviting me into during this season?
- What do I need to shut out so I can stay close to Him?
The Daily Dose 