Genesis 7:7-9
And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
There is a sweet phrase tucked into these verses that is easy to miss: “There went in two and two unto Noah.”
That means Noah did not have to chase the animals down. He did not have to spend his days lassoing lions or cornering rabbits. The Lord brought them to him. The same God who brought the animals to Adam in Genesis 2:19 now brings the animals to Noah. What God commands, He is able to arrange. What God purposes, He is fully able to bring to pass.
And what a sight this must have been.
Animals that would normally fight, flee, snarl, or devour one another came together and entered the ark as God had commanded. Somehow the wolf and the lamb, the fox and the rabbit, the great and the small, moved in ordered calm because the Lord was preparing for something new. It was as though creation itself was being quieted by the hand of its Creator.
That speaks to me.
Second Corinthians 5:17 says that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. That means the Lord is able to do with us what we could never do with ourselves. He can take what is wild and make it gentle. He can take what is harsh and make it tender. He can take what is divided, angry, fearful, or stubborn and begin to reshape it by His Spirit.
We all know what beastly behavior looks like in our own lives. Sharp words. Proud reactions. Restless thoughts. Old appetites. Strange moods. But the God who could quiet the animal kingdom and bring it into the ark in peace is certainly able to work on you and me.
And really, we see little reminders of that kind of wisdom all through creation even now. The animal world is full of wonders that leave us scratching our heads. Creatures find each other, migrate across impossible distances, and operate by instincts we cannot begin to explain. The Lord has never had trouble governing His creation. So why should I think my heart is too tangled for Him? Why should I think my habits are beyond His reach?
He knows how to lead.
He knows how to gather.
He knows how to change.
That is the comfort here. Noah’s safety did not depend on his ability to manage the whole scene. God was managing it. Noah’s part was to enter the ark and trust the One who had spoken. That is our part too. We are not called to run the universe. We are called to obey the Lord and trust Him to do what only He can do.
Saints, do not lose heart over the parts of your life that still feel untamed. The Lord is patient. The Lord is powerful. And the Lord who brought beasts peaceably into the ark can surely go on changing us until our lives look more and more like Jesus.