What Makes God Smile? Lessons from Noah’s Obedience
Reflections on Chapter Nine of The Purpose Driven Life
In a world obsessed with human approval and validation, Warren redirects our focus to the only opinion that truly matters; God’s.
The Man Who Made God Smile
When I think about biblical heroes, Noah might not be the first name that comes to mind. Yet Scripture has something to say about this: “Noah was a pleasure to the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). In a world so corrupt that God decided to start over, Noah stood out as someone who brought genuine joy to his Creator’s heart. Warren frames it like this “This guy bring pleasure. He makes me smile. I’ll start over wit his family.”
What made Noah different though? What can we learn from a man who lived thousands of years ago about bringing pleasure to God today? Warren identifies five acts of worship that made God smile through Noah’s life, and they’re still relevant to this day.
Loving God Supremely
The first thing that made God smile about Noah was his undeniable love for the Lord. “Noah consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him” (Genesis 6:9b). This wasn’t about perfect behavior or flawless execution, it’s about the heart’s orientation toward God.
Warren reminds us that “what God wants most from you is a relationship.” This truth challenges our performance-based mentality. God doesn’t want our religious activities as mush as He wants our authentic connection. As He says in Hosea 6:6,”I don’t want your sacrifices, I want your love; I don’t want your offerings, I want you to know me.”
Learning to love God and be loved by Him should be our greatest objective. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He didn’t hesitate to share this:“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37-38). This comprehensive love, involving our emotions, spirit, and intellect, is what brings pleasure to God’s heart.
Trusting God Completely
The second reason Noah pleased God was his complete trust. “By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told” (Hebrews 11:7). Think about the kind of obstacles Noah faced: he had never seen rain, lived hundreds of miles from the coast, and was asked to gather and car for every kind of animal. Anyone of these challenges could have caused resonable doubt.
Yet Noah trusted God completely means having faith that he knows what is best for your life,” Warren explains. This kind of trust is active faith that moves froward despite uncertainty.
Reading about Noah’s trust challenges me personally. I’ve experienced what I can only describe as a divine visitation- moments when God’s voice dropped into my spirit with specific instructions. In one instance, I heard “His grace is sufficient.” Later, I was reminded of Noah’s arch and felt called to “live like Noah had.” In 2024 I received clear direction to “move to Chicago,” to which I obeyed.
But here’s where Noah’s example both encourages and convicts me. At the beginning of 2025, I received a detailed revelation that I cannot fully share yet, but I struggle with whether I’m carrying out all that was asked of me. This leads me to wonder: How did Noah remember everything? (although, the bible says consistently he followed the Lord’s will) Was God silent during the building process, or did He provide ongoing guidance?
