I was indirectly reading about Noah this morning (I was reading in Luke 17, then pulled out a commentary for some further reading on verses 20-37), and something about the story stood out to me for the first time (I think... it's not so novel, so I may have heard it at some point before): God didn't ever say, "Noah, I'm saving you and condemning the others." Instead, the story (and the passage in Luke) make it seem like Noah's just the only one who paid any attention any more. This is interesting to me because I've been spending more time reflecting on how, to borrow from Brother Lawrence, we practice being in the presence of God. "Noah walked with God."
My view of God, of prayer, remains very utilitarian. I feel something, I want something, I feel obligation, and so I pray. This requires me to shift away from my usual occupation and intentionally place my mind on God. But as I'm reading more from people who spent their lives striving to submit every minute to God, to be in conversation with him every moment of the day, I'm realizing that prayer and being in the presence of God is a tool in my life rather than the state of my heart in response to its desires. Like the people of Noah's generation, my daily concerns and getting my own way is far bigger in importance, far more prominent in my mind, than hearing the voice of God in my life.
What popped into my head as I was praying/thinking through this was Romans 6, being a slave to righteousness, and 2 Cor. 10, taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ. My perspective must shift. I must be in continual relationship with God and that must shape my actions, even if it means building a huge boat.
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