Walking With God When the World Falls Apart: Lessons From Noah's Extraordinary Life

Have you ever looked around at the state of our world and wondered if God notices? Wars, hatred, greed, contempt—there's just so much chaos everywhere. "How does God feel about it? Is there anybody out there that has kind of risen above all this stuff and is living a life that God would acknowledge as being one that he appreciates?"

These questions aren't new. In fact, they're as old as human history itself. When I look at Genesis chapter 6, verses 5 through 9, I see a world that mirrors our own—and I discover hope in the most unlikely place.

When God Looks Down and Grieves

The Bible paints a devastating picture in Genesis 6:5-6: "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that he had made the man on earth, and he was grieved in his heart."

Think about this progression. "Compare that in chapter six to Genesis 1:31, where right after the creation of God, the Lord looked out. And not only was it good, but it says in verse 31 that it was very good. So in a matter of just a few chapters of recorded history, we find that people have gone from... God's creation have gone from being in a state of being very good before the eyes of the Lord to one of just really, really bad wickedness all over the place."

The Downward Spiral of Humanity

Here's something many people don't want to hear: "There are some that believe that people and societies as a whole get better and better and better. It doesn't work that way outside of an intervention of God. It does not work that way. Our tendency as human beings is to get more and more and more farther away from God in our standing and in our view of life."

"Some of us have lived longer than others in this room. Go back 50 years and think about what life was like in America... I can tell you that 50 years ago, it was... it was a lot different. You know, one of the things I read this week was, you know, we had a lot more common sense, okay? And you just kind of wonder nowadays what in the world has happened with life? It doesn't seem to be getting any better."

The description in Romans 1:17-32 perfectly captures what happens when people turn away from God—and it reads like today's headlines. People become "filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, their gossips, slanders, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful inventors of evil, disobedient to parents without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful."

God's Heart Breaks Over Sin

What strikes me most about this passage is how God responds. "The Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth... he was grieving in his heart."

As a parent, I understand this grief. "You want to raise your children in a way so that they'll be able to take care of themselves. A way that they'll make good decisions and they'll become independent... But sometimes those children grow up and they make choices that are so contrary to... the choices that you would make for them. They become murderers, they become rapists, they become thieves, big time crooks, they become terrorists, they become drug dealers... And you sit there and your heart is just crushed."

"And when God looks upon the people that he's created today, as in Noah's day and time, he feels that way. He feels that way. He hurts."

There's an old song that keeps running through my mind: "I Wonder if God Cries." The lyrics ask, "When we do the things we do, the teardrops fill his eyes because he loves us oh so true... Does he bow and weep when we damn his holy name?"

God's Justice and Mercy Collide

God's response was decisive: "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals, to creeping things into the birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them" (Genesis 6:7).

"God can be complex. He's simple, but he can be complex. I mean, he's loving, he's kind, he's compassionate. But you know what? God is also holy and God is also pure and God is also righteous."

Yet even in His judgment, God's heart for mercy shines through. When Abraham pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:22-33, asking God to spare the cities for the sake of even ten righteous people, God agreed. "What that passage tells me is that God has a caring place in his heart. God has a loving place in his heart... I want people to be able to have fellowship with me."

One Man Made All the Difference

But here's where hope enters the story: "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8).

In a world gone completely wrong, one man stood out. "There was a person who had been living not a perfect life, but a life that caught God's attention. God isn't expecting perfection out of any of us in this room... he is looking for people with their eyes, with their hearts focused on Him."

Four Characteristics That Set Noah Apart

1. He Found Favor With God "Noah pleased God, even though he is far, far, far from perfect. He found it. He found this favor. He didn't earn it. If you have a good relationship with God this morning, it's not because you've earned it... It's because he's given it to you as a gift."

2. He Was Righteous Genesis 6:9 tells us "Noah was a righteous man." This is "the very first time in the Bible that that word righteous... is used. But he lived a righteous life, and he was righteous because of his faith... Noah trusted God. And out of his trust for God, he lived the right kind of life."

3. He Was Blameless The text says Noah was "blameless in his time. No one could come up and say, did you hear the latest about Noah? Or did you see what Noah did?... Nobody could because he was blameless. He was without fault."

4. He Walked With God This is perhaps the most important characteristic: "Noah walked with God."

"There is something special about spending time with just one other person... it's quiet. No one's... No interruptions, no notifications... And it's just the two of you. That's what Noah experienced in his relationship with God. He continually, habitually maintained that relationship."

The Power of Divine Influence

"The people we associate with tend to affect how we live. Right? They really do... Noah spent time with God."

"Being in a place where God can bless you and bless me is more than just believing in his existence. It means that we are walking with him. Think about that, guys. Hundreds, thousands of people were going to die, but this one and his family rode his coattails. This one man survived. Don't you want to know and understand and be like that man who survived?"

Putting It Into Practice

Noah's example challenges us with practical questions about our own walk with God:

Start Each Day in God's Presence

"Let me ask you two questions. Have you prayed today before you came in here? Have you prayed? Have you spent time with God having a conversation? And did you give God enough time to respond? Or was it a monologue before God? You see, prayer is actually a dialogue and sometimes we just have to sit there and wait for his response."

Feed Your Soul Daily

"And secondly... have you read the Bible today? Have you read the Bible today?"

Make God Your Primary Influence

"He survived because he experienced God's grace. He survived because he was righteous. He survived because he was found blameless. But I think more than anything else, he survived because he walked with God and God was the primary influence in his life."

"You want to see a year like you've never seen before? Let God be the primary influence in your life in 2026."

In a world that seems to be falling apart, we can find hope in Noah's example. We don't need to be perfect—we need to be walking with God. When we make Him the primary influence in our lives, we discover that even in the darkest times, God notices those who choose to walk with Him.