Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done … I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth, whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. 
Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 
(Genesis 8:21 and 9:13-15)

by Debra Neybert Training Specialist

Noah’s name actually means rest or resting place. We see evidence of this word fulfilled in Genesis 8, when the Lord promised never to curse the ground again or destroy all living creatures as he had done in the flood.

The Lord then gave the covenant sign of the rainbow to assure us of His promise, which reminds us we can rest assured that all the promises He has made to us will come to pass!

Scripture tells us the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat after a 150 days (Genesis 8: 4). The use of the term “rested” is significant, because the Lord could have used another word to express the way in which the ark landed on the mountains, but very clearly in the original language it means, to rest, settle down and remain.

The Lord is emphasizing rest.

He desires to bring us to a place of rest in Him. “There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God,” one hymn declares. There may be some rivers to cross and valleys to travel, but He always takes us through to the other side so we can lie down in green pastures and find a place of rest and comfort in Him.

Circumstances may flood our lives like the deluge of Noah’s day. But the Father’s way involves not uprooting us in the midst of the flood, but—much better—uprooting those things that stand in the way of our knowing and understanding God's great love for us, so we can rest in Him.

May the Lord comfort you in your labor and give you rest!