“But I will set up my covenant with you. You will go into the ark together with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives.” – Genesis 6:18 (CEB)
Right in the middle of the flood warning, God makes a promise: “I will set up my covenant with you.” Not “if you finish the ark.” The covenant comes before the rain, before Noah has any proof. Grace goes first.
I once lost my phone. The next morning I searched everywhere and came up empty, sure it was gone. It wasn’t. The custodian had already found it and set it aside. While I was still searching, it had already been found. That is what Methodists call prevenient grace, the grace that reaches us before we reach for God. When we make our promises, we are only answering a promise God already kept. What might change if you lived this week as a response to grace already given?
Faithful God, you set up your covenant before I could keep mine. Anchor me today in your promise rather than my performance. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.