Have you ever found yourself in a place or circumstance that seems less than ideal, yet you know that God has told you to be there? You are trying to follow God’s leading, and truly desire to follow Him,
but perhaps you’re trying to move your feet forward when God has not shown you clearly where to place your footsteps.
Sometimes, we may even see “signs” that look as if God is leading us in one direction, but when He doesn’t actually lead us down that path, it can leave us feeling confused and maybe even a little discouraged.
Noah may have found himself in a very similar situation. In Genesis 6:9, it is documented that, “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” For these reasons, God chose to spare Noah and his wife, his 3 sons and their wives, and through them the human race. God gave Noah all of the vital information he needed to have, from how big the ark should be, to the materials to use, to the specific number of each type of animal that should go on the ark. Simple enough, right? Well, it took Noah close to 100 years just to build the ark. That was not one of the details that God shared with him in the beginning. Can you imagine being in Noah’s shoes, working diligently for 50 years, stepping back to consider the progress that has taken place so far, and realizing that you have only made it about half way? Yet Noah continued to follow God day-by-day until he has finished the work that God told him to do.
Finally, the ark was completed, and within a week’s time, the ark was filled with the animals, and Noah’s family inside. On February 17th of Noah’s 600th year of life, God closed the door to the ark, sealing in all of the living creatures that would survive God’s judgement on the world. We know very well how it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, with water gushing up from the foundation of the earth, as well as raining down on them, but that wasn’t the end of the wait for Noah and his family. It wasn’t until July that the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat. Then it was October before they could actually see the tops of the mountains as the waters continued to recede. After another 40 days, he sends out a raven which did not return as it found dry land to live on, and a glimmer of hope was sparked. Then Noah sent out a dove, but it returned with no other place to rest close by. He waits another week and tries to send the dove out again, which returns, but this time with an olive branch in its beak…a second sign of impending freedom. One more week goes by, and Noah sends the dove out, this time not returning to him. It is now January 1st, and Noah removes the covering from off of the ark to see dry ground!
What a sign! It’s the start of a brand new year, and the ground is visibly dry. This would be the perfect time for them to come off the ark, and start a new beginning in a seemingly new world, but there was just one problem…God didn’t tell him to get off the ark. In Noah’s sight, there was no other sign that remained to be seen as obvious evidence for them to remain on the ark, but God didn’t move them. When will it end? What more could they be waiting for? Yet they remained obedient, and stayed on the ark for another month and 27 days. One year and 10 days after they enter the ark, the ground was truly dry, and God says, “Go forth off the ark…”
The difference between January 1st and February 27th is that Noah saw that the ground was dry, and God had him wait until He knew that the ground was dry. And why does that matter? If the ground was not completely dry, the animals and mankind could have become entangled or harmed in the mud, which could have been a death sentence on a very limited population, for one. God was protecting them every step of the way, and waiting at that moment was more important than moving.
You may find yourself, today, waiting on God. You are more than eager and ready to move forward, but God hasn’t given you the green light to “go” yet.
I want to encourage you today that sometimes waiting is just as important as the willingness to move.
We are not doing God’s will unless we are doing it in His timing. Be patient, and trust the One who sees what we cannot see.
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