In Genesis 8:10, 12
we see Noah waiting. This is the first
mention of "wait" in scripture.
Noah had released a dove 40 days after the waters had abated, but the
dove found nothing. "Noah waited 7
days" and then released the dove a second time, it returned with an olive
branch. "Noah waited 7 more
days" and then released the dove again.
This time the dove did not return.
It only rained for
40 days, but it took much longer for God's work to be finished, and during this
time, Noah had to wait. God could have
released the members of the ark after 40 days, but they would have drowned in
the waters that still covered the earth.
Noah could have stopped waiting after 150 days, when the waters abated,
but the destruction would have been too severe to survive. Noah could have stopped waiting after 40
additional days, but there was no sustenance yet. It was for Noah's good that God had him
wait. God work wasn't just about the 40
days of destruction of evil but also about the additional months of rebuilding
the earth.
It rained for 40
days - and God had Noah wait
The waters prevailed
an additional 150 days - and God had Noah wait
40 days later the
first dove was released - and God had Noah wait
7 days later the
dove was sent again - and God had Noah wait
7 days later the
dove was sent a third time - and God had Noah wait
From the day that
God shut them in the ark to the day He opened the door was 1 year and 10
days. We think we are called to wait
through the storms of life, a mere 40 days.
But God also often asks us to wait as He is completing His work, which
for Noah was 9 times longer than the storm.
We are not called to
wait out the storm, we are called to wait on the Lord. He alone knows when it is time to come out
from the ark. He alone knows when the
time is complete.
