Waiting Past the Storm

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.