Genesis 7:14-16
They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
That last phrase is the one that settles my heart.
And the Lord shut him in.
Noah did not shut the door behind himself and then hope he had done it right. He did not stand there wondering if he had latched it tightly enough, or if the pressure of the flood would force it open. The Lord shut him in. Noah was secure, not because of his grip on the door, but because of God’s grip on him.
That is a beautiful picture of salvation.
Jesus said in John 10:28 that no man can pluck His people out of His hand. If I am in Christ, I am safe in Christ. If I have come through the Door, and Jesus said in John 10:9, “I am the door,” then my security rests not in my strength, but in His faithfulness. Noah was sealed in the ark by the Lord Himself, and in that same way, the believer is kept by the power of God.
That does not make me careless. It makes me grateful.
It makes me worship.
It makes me breathe easier when the storms of life start pounding against the sides of the ark. Because my hope is not that I have fastened myself well enough. My hope is that the Lord has shut me in.
Now someone says, “But what about those who once seemed to believe and yet do not make it? What about those who make a profession and then walk away?” That is a real question, and Scripture deals honestly with it.
The picture that helps me most is the one in Acts 27. Paul was on a ship in a violent storm. The angel of the Lord assured him that all who sailed with him would be spared. But later, when some of the sailors were about to leave the ship, Paul said plainly, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved” in Acts 27:31. In other words, the place of safety was the ship. To abandon the ship was to abandon the place of preservation.
That helps me.
No one can snatch me out of the hand of Jesus. But I have no desire to jump overboard either. I am not looking for another vessel. I am not shopping for another captain. I am not interested in drifting off in some other direction. I know where life is found. I know where salvation is found. I know where grace is found.
It is found in Jesus.
Yes, I fail. Yes, I sin. Yes, I stumble more than I wish I did. But there is a world of difference between a man who stumbles on the deck and a man who wants to abandon the ship. My heart is settled. I am staying with the Lord. By His grace, I mean to love Him all the days of my life.
That is what this verse stirs in me.
The ark was not Noah’s idea. The door was not Noah’s design. The sealing was not Noah’s doing. It was all of God. And because it was of God, it was secure.
Beloved, that is where rest comes from. Not from staring at yourself. Not from taking your spiritual temperature every ten minutes. Not from wondering if you have done enough to keep yourself saved. Rest comes from looking at the Lord who shut the door.
He saved you.
He keeps you.
He seals you.
And He will bring you safely home.
So stay in the ship, saints.
Stay with Jesus.
When the rain falls, stay in the ship.
When the waves rise, stay in the ship.
When your emotions are all over the place, stay in the ship.
The Lord has shut you in, and that is enough.