Covered by Grace

Remember being a kid, curled up by the window during a thunderstorm? Rain streaking down the glass, wind whipping the trees around, thunder rattling the windows. Everything outside looked chaotic and a little scary. But you were warm. You were safe. The storm was real—it just couldn't get to you.

Long before there were glass windows to sit behind, Noah knew this feeling too.

Before the flood came, God gave Noah precise instructions for building the ark. One small detail in those instructions is especially meaningful: “Cover it inside and out with pitch” (Genesis 6:14). The wood is what gave the ark its shape, sure. But it was the covering that actually kept the water out.

And isn't that exactly what faith is like?

Believing doesn't mean the storms stay away. We will still face uncertainty, disappointment, illness, loss, temptation, and fear. The winds may shake everything around us. The waters may rise. There may be moments when we wonder whether we will make it through.

But God does not leave us uncovered.

First, He gives us His Church as an ark, a place of refuge and salvation in the midst of life’s storms. Then within this sacred vessel, He surrounds us with His grace, strengthens us through prayer, seals us with the Holy Spirit, guides us through His Word, and nourishes us with the Holy Eucharist.

Notice that the ark was covered both inside and out. We also need God’s grace on the outside, in our words, decisions, relationships, and actions. But we need His grace on the inside as well—in our thoughts, memories, wounds, fears, and hidden struggles.

Sometimes we appear strong on the outside while anxiety is leaking into our souls. A small opening of bitterness, fear, anger, or despair can slowly fill the heart. That is why we must allow God to cover every part of us, especially the places no one else can see.

The rain fell for forty days and nights, but Noah was carried through it. The storm that seemed determined to destroy him became the water that carried him toward a new beginning.

Whatever storm you may be facing today, do not spend all your strength trying to control the rain. Instead, remain close to Christ. Let His mercy cover you inside and out.