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God spoke to Noah. He said, “Go out of the ark—you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of every sort that is with you, all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may swarm over the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives along with him. Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever swarms on the earth went out of the ship, species by species. Noah built an altar to the LORD and took from every clean animal and every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The LORD smelled the pleasant aroma. The LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the soil anymore because of man, for the thoughts he forms in his heart are evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:15-22 (EHV)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Have you ever ridden a roller coaster or a really crazy ride at the fair?

The cars climb the first, big hill: Clack, clack, clack . . . creak . . . your stomach is already nervous.

You’re buckled in, the harness is holding you . . . but are you sure? You wiggle it, just in case. What if it pops open?!

Then, suddenly—WHEEE!! The car zooms down the hill, through loops, upside-down twists, and corkscrew spins. You feel sick, queasy, terrified! What’s going to happen next?

And then—it stops. The roller coaster glides back into the starting area, safe and sound. You’re back on solid ground.

That’s kind of what the flood may have felt like for Noah and his family. The sky opened up, rain poured for 40 days, water exploded up from under the earth, giant waves crashed everywhere. The ark rocked, tipped, and spun. But through it all—God kept Noah’s family safe.

And just like a roller coaster coming to the end, the ark came to rest on a tall mountain called Ararat. When Noah and his family stepped out, the whole world was fresh and new. Imagine: just eight people and a whole bunch of animals to start the world over again!

The first thing Noah did wasn’t to unpack or build a house—he built an altar to worship God. He thanked God for protecting him through the biggest storm the world had ever seen.

When you look back at your life, think about the times God has taken care of you too. If he’s done it before, he’ll do it again. God’s blessings in the past give us courage and joy to worship him today.

Dear Jesus, sometimes life feels scary and upside-down. But you never let go of me. Thank you for my home, my family, and all the blessings I don’t always notice. Help me to trust you and thank you every day. In your name, Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

Questions for Elementary Age Children

Questions for Middle School and Above

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