Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6:9d

Genesis 6:9-22, 7:24, 8:14-19

Matthew 7:21-29

Walking with God

May 29, 2005

These past two week remind me of another extended rainy period when our son Nathan was about 3 years old. I was driving him to nursery school, and he was buckled securely in his seat looking so forlorn as the rain continued to come down. For several days he had not been able to play outside. The silence was broken when he asked me, “Who’s been bad?”

It took a moment for me to understand his question. He was connecting the many days of rain with the story of Noah’s Ark. Someone had to be responsible for all the rain; and it was not him!

The story of Noah raises all kinds of issues. Yet, I could never quite comprehend what motivated some people to search for evidence of the ark’s existence. Neither did questions about the survival of all those animals with Noah stir doubts in my soul about the truth revealed by Scripture. Faith, for me, does not rest on the accuracy of the details of ancient stories. Faith is trust in the living God who is faithful.

Remember the group building exercises of camp? How many of you walked blindfolded by the direction of a friend as a way of building trust? Trust walks they were called, and that is what faith is, a trust walk with God.

Within the dramatic story of Noah, there is this nugget: Noah walked with God. It is so simple and yet so profound. That is what faith is – walking with God. It is not a matter of stating doctrine; although I relish sound theological discussion. It is not participating in ritual; although I appreciate the spiritual depth and continuity of tradition. Faith is walking with God, an on-going conversation with God and living out one’s trust in God.

Walking with God can lead us on both smooth and rough paths, to mountain tops and through shadowed valleys. Some days the road ahead is easy to discern and its direction clear and pleasant. Other days we step out into the shadows of uncertainty and the trials of struggle. We are not promised life without pain or hardship, but that God is with us on our journey. We are not alone.

Remember the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus? They were filled with disappointment following the crucifixion. How they had hoped the end would be different! On the Road a stranger joined them and their hearts were burning within them when he spoke. Jesus walked with them.

Footprints is a schmaltzy poem, but many of us find it meaningful. Two sets of footprints appear on a sandy beach, but the author queries God why during the most difficult times of life, when God was most needed, only one set of footprints appeared. The author is reassured by God that during those times we are carried by God.

This is what Jesus is teaching with authority at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in our Gospel lesson this morning. Walking with God is putting faith into practice, providing us with a strong foundation for facing the storms of life. Faith is more than talking the talk. It is walking the walk with God, the footprints of discipleship.

I am convinced that embittered people become so because they lack the moral resources to deal with life’s difficulties and disappointments. They look for the easy way and have not developed moral courage. As we live, through our decisions, our experiences, the people who befriend us and whom we befriend, we are amassing the moral resources to deal with the demands of life. To bring our life experiences into conversation with God as we walk gives us a faith perspective that prepares and sustains us for whatever comes into our path. It is a faith walk that both listens and acts in obedience to God.

A woman in her midlife was struggling with a terribly painful and debilitating neurological disease. She had endured several surgeries; yet, despite all that was hard in her life, she continued to live with dignity, grace, and humor. When asked how she could maintain her humor, she replied, “It is like I have prepared for this all my life. Beginning some 50 years ago, my mother took me to church every Sunday, even though I would have preferred to stay home. We had a difficult life. My father left when I was born. My mother struggled to make ends meet; and people often judged us for what we didn’t have. But at church, I was told that God loved me. At church, I was told that God had a purpose for my life.

At church I learned that God would be with me, no matter what. I never really needed to draw on any of that until now. I’m so grateful that when it came time for me to reach down and show what I was made of, I had something to show for it, a foundation strengthened over time.

That woman walked with God, and so can we.