THE HEART OF GOD

He Made a Way

“...for I am sorry that I have made them” (Genesis 6:7).

Can you imagine the heart of God as He looked upon the earth and saw the wickedness of man? God’s love for His creation was usurped by man’s evil heart. His heart broke. “The LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (v. 6).

We think of God as pure love, merciful, forgiving, slow to anger, compassionate toward us all. And, He is all of that and so much more! But, we often fail to consider that there is a point, as with any loving father, where His heart is so broken at the wicked choices and actions of His children, that He is grieved beyond measure. Imagine the God of all creation, carefully and very intricately forming man from the dust of the ground, setting into motion a beating heart, and breathing life into the nostrils of His beloved creation. Imagine the object of His total affection turning against Him as the very beings He created chose to believe a lie and disobey Him. Imagine how wickedness spread throughout the generations to the point that the Father was grieved as He looked down from the portals of heaven. “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land…” (v. 7).

Even in the midst of His grief. Brokenheartedness. Disgust. God looked for one who was righteous among all creation; He found Noah and graced him with favor. And, it was through the lineage of Noah that a Redeemer was born to a virgin, fulfilling prophecies of a long-awaited Messiah. Our Merciful Father made a way for us all even in the midst of His own grief over the wickedness of mankind. As much as God’s heart was grieved to the point of regretting the creation He formed in His own image, He provided a way of redemption because His love for mankind outweighed His grief.

Regardless what you’re facing, your lifestyle, your choices, or your sin … our loving Father provided a Way for redemption. In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Once again, through Jesus our Messiah, God created a link between sinful man and Himself. Not Noah, a mere man who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, but the glorious Son of God who paid the ultimate price so we—all mankind—could find a way to the Father.

I'm sure you're like me, never wanting to grieve the Father’s heart purposely although we’ve all sorely disappointed Him time and time again. But, as He looks at me (and every believer), He sees “The Way” linking each of us to Him and He smiles. No longer does He regret making mankind -- not because we’ve finally learned our lesson or because we’re so good, but because of His glorious and merciful provision for our sorely-needed redemption.

Thank You, Lord, for making a way — THE WAY — for our redemption through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen!