Genesis 6:8–9 (NIV84)
8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
Romans 3:10–12 (NIV84)
10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
With the terrible diagnosis and the agonizing tears, we are left standing in the ruins of a condemned world. The verdict has been passed. The heart of man is a poisoned spring, and justice demands a cleansing flood. There should be no survivors.
And then, a sentence of four words that defies all logic: “But Noah found favor.” It hangs in the air, a stunning, unintelligible exception to an absolute rule. Our minds, trained in the grim arithmetic of earning and deserving, immediately scramble for a reason. We seize upon the next verse—“Noah was a righteous man”—and breathe a sigh of relief. Ah, we think, it was not an exception after all. It was a transaction. God’s favor was the payment for Noah’s goodness.
But the word “favor”—in the Hebrew, chen—is “grace”, and we must not tame it. This is not the measured approval a master gives a faithful servant. This is the stunning, unprovoked pardon a king grants a traitor from a city in total rebellion. It is a grace that makes no sense on the world’s terms; it almost seems unjust. It is not a response to some hidden virtue in the man; it is a sovereign decision that originates solely in the heart of God.
Here is the revolution that turns all human religion on its head: verse 8 is not the effect of verse 9, but its cause. Noah was not righteous so that he might find grace. He found grace, and therefore he became righteous. In the rubble of a world slated for demolition, the Divine Architect placed His hand on one stone—not because it was flawless, but simply because He had chosen it. Upon this single, undeserving stone, He would build again. Grace is not God’s response to our goodness. It is the unmerited, shocking, glorious source of it.
Reflect, Share & Prayer: Our pride insists on finding a reason for God’s favor. How does the truth that God’s grace precedes our righteousness—that it is a cause, not a reward—challenge your understanding of your relationship with Him? Thank God for the scandalous grace that chose you not because you were good, but to make you good.
I often try to earn God’s approval as a way to make myself feel better. Sometimes, that even becomes a substitute for truly spending time with Him in prayer and devotion. When I rely on my own strength to do good works, it usually leads to burnout.
This truth challenges me because I like being in control. When things don’t go the way I planned or fail to meet my expectations, I tend to crash. But remembering that God’s grace comes before my effort helps me let go. His favor isn’t something I achieve—it’s something I receive. That realization reminds me to rest in His grace instead of striving for His approval, trusting that He’s the one shaping me through it all.
Celeste
Reflect and share:
My pride often wants to believe that God’s favor depends on how good I am, how much I’ve improved, or how faithful to him I’ve been. But when I stop and look at my life, I can clearly see that God’s grace already came even before I ever deserved it. When I failed him, both in what I’ve done and what I’ve not done, he’s already extended me his mercy. There are times I look back and wonder, after all that I’ve done, why does he still love me? But that’s the mystery and beauty of grace. This humble me. It’s not something I earn, but something so freely given because of who he is. His love doesn’t wait for my getting right, it produces it.
Prayer:
Father God. Thank You for your amazing grace that chose me, not because I was good, but to make me good. You loved me when I least deserved it and called me your own. Please Heavenly Father, help me to never take that grace for granted, but let it change my heart every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(from Vincent)
Understanding that God’s grace precedes our righteousness was a concept I struggled with. I always thought we should do good, to get good with God. I think that His grace preceding our return to Him magnifies the importance of undeserved gifts. Without it, we would not be brought conviction via the Holy Spirit. I would still be lost, wandering this Earth like Cain. Grace after works would mean we would not need Christ. It would mean that those lost in sin, would never be granted an avenue back to the Lord. How can those chained by their own sin recognize a need for change? Grace must be given, and through it we are sanctified and made righteous. I remember two points in my life- 1. My thirst to learn about God 2. My conviction to be righteous and spread the Word. The first was led by grace, and the second is a result of it. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:11-12).
Dear Abba, I thank you for granting us grace as wretched people. I pray that we be made righteous and sanctified through it. I pray for those who are starving and are worried about their food supply. I pray that you grant them food- and everlasting food through Christ. I pray for those Christians in foreign nations suffering- that they do not lose faith and bring conviction to others. I pray to see these martyrs one day in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The truth that God’s grace precedes righteousness humbles me. It’s easy to fall into thinking that God’s favor depends on how well I do spiritually or for my good works. But, realizing that His grace comes first really puts into perspective the depth of God’s love. I am reminded that my relationship with the Lord isn’t based on what I do, but on His mercy. I’m grateful for God’s love that chose me not because I am good, but to make me good. His grace and love continues to shape me to be more like Him. Lord, thank you again for your grace. I am comforted knowing that it is not based on anything I do, but what You did for me.
From Monica
I admit I tend to find the need to justify everything. It’s my way of trying to make sense of the things that happen. When God finds “favor” in Noah, I immediately want to know the reason why. The world we live in at times feels transactional and we feel the need to “earn” everything. God’s love is the opposite of that. There is nothing we can do to earn his love or nothing we can do to lose it. God, thank you for your grace that we do not deserve. I pray that I may pursue righteousness and sanctification as a result of the grace you have shown us.
God’s grace precedes our righteousness, meaning we are sinners who can’t earn His favor. His grace is the cause, not the result, of our righteousness. This truth challenges my faith because it reminds me that even though I already know grace can’t be earned, it still takes humility to come to God with my shame and wrongs instead of trying to fix myself first. I often think about who I’d be if I weren’t a Christian, and I can’t imagine the darkness and sinful life I’d be living without His transforming grace. I’m thankful that His grace chose me not because I was good, but to make me more like Him. Kimbo
Today’s reading is very fundamental. God’s grace and salvation is not something that we can earn and it can not be earned. It’s just simply given to us by God. It just shows that God love us so much more than we love Him. And He know that not matter what we do, it is impossible for us to earn His grace. Father God, thank you for your grace that you given me not because I was good, but to make me good. I pray that I will forever remember that and never work to earn your grace, but to glorify your name. Amen
It’s stunning that Noah found favor/grace in God’s eyes, not because he deserves it but God’s willingness to grant it. I assume Noah was somehow less evil than the world, which will never ever make him blameless in God’s eyes. God just want to choose Noah. It’s shocking and touching at the same time that God simply gives grace. I will never understand why God does that. I only know God’s grace is what I need to depend on and to survive on. God, thank you for your grace which is all I need. I don’t have to worry about how much or how little I do for you now, because you don’t give grace based on that. I only need to appreciate your favor in me by praying to you more and enhancing my obedience to you.