What Caused the 40?

Read

Read Genesis 6:5–9, 22 slowly

Genesis 6:5–8

5 When the Lord saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time,

6 the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

7 Then the Lord said, “I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created… for I regret that I made them.”

8 Noah, however, found favor in the sight of the Lord.

Genesis 6:9

9 Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6:22

22 And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.

As you read, notice two realities unfolding at the same time.

Human wickedness had spread across the earth, bringing God’s judgment. Yet in the midst of that corruption, Noah found favor with God because he walked with Him.

The flood came because of rebellion, but the ark was given as God’s provision for salvation.

What brought judgment to the world became the very means by which Noah and his family were preserved.

Sit with that tension before moving on.

Reflect

One of the striking things about Noah’s story is that his difficult season did not begin because he was resisting God, but because he was obeying Him.

His obedience led him into the ark, and that obedience led him into uncertainty. Noah did not know how long he would remain there, where the waters would carry him, or when the door would open again. Yet what may have felt restrictive was actually the place of God’s protection.

We often assume hardship means God is distant or displeased, but Noah’s story invites another possibility. Sometimes a difficult season may not be punishment at all, but part of God’s preserving work in our lives.

Could what feels limiting actually be God’s care at work in ways you do not yet see?

Sit with that question for a moment.

Respond

Consider your own “40 seasons.”

What seemed to cause them? Were they connected to loss, waiting, obedience, consequences, or circumstances beyond your control?

And looking back, where might God have been protecting, shaping, or preserving you in ways you did not recognize at the time?

Write honestly.

There is no need to rush this.

Pray

Lord, help me trust You when I do not understand what You are doing. Give me faith to believe that even difficult seasons may be held within Your care. Teach me to recognize Your protection, even when it comes in ways I would not have chosen. Help me walk with You in trust, as Noah did. Amen.

Prepare for Day 2

Tomorrow we will consider:

What happened during the 40? What was God doing in the waiting?