The Wind is Blowing

The wind is blowing.

I have been reading along with an online Bible study called #shereadstruth. We are currently journeying through Genesis, which never ceases to cast forth something new and different for me to ponder, every time I read it. This time I was reading the account of Noah, when something new presented itself for me to think about.

Noah and his family and all of those animals were on the ark for around 370 days, give or take. Now I’m sure in the beginning, as the rain came pelting down and the ark began to float, they probably felt thankful and blessed.

But, the human heart is often fickle. God never told them how long they would be on the ark. He just told them to get on it. We have had a lot of rain here in Georgia over the past few months. There have been days that we wondered if it would ever stop. It rained on Noah for forty days and nights, non-stop.

I wonder how thankful they felt after 40 days. Then the rain finally stopped. Perhaps they wondered if at last they could breathe fresh air again and walk on dry land or run and jump. The rain may have stopped, but they had a long wait ahead. For over three hundred more days, they floated for a period that I suspect seemed aimless and endless.

Have you ever felt like you were drifting endlessly? Have you ever wondered if you would ever feel like your feet were on solid ground? Have you ever wondered if you would feel the warmth of the sun or the freedom to run freely again?

Well, take heart. I’m sure Noah and his family must have felt downright hopeless and forgotten at times, too. But, this story is about a man who loved and obeyed God, and God provided, as He always provides for His children.

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him on the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” Genesis 8:1

Keep in mind, that while that wind was blowing and the waters were receding that Noah and his family were still locked away in the ark. God was at work, but they couldn’t see it. I am reminded that He is at work in our lives too, in the darkness, in the hopelessness, even when we can’t see it.

Lastly, the first thing Noah did was to offer a burnt sacrifice to God. In our world of instant gratification, it’s a stunning picture of Noah’s love for God that after 370 days sealed aboard an ark with all of those animals, the first thing he did was to give thanks for their deliverance. Noah remembered to be thankful.

Noah’s story reminds me to always remember that God is always at work even if it’s like the wind and we can’t see it. His story also reminds me to give thanks for the many blessings that we have been given, even if they were what we believe to be a long time coming. God’s timing is always perfect.

Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂