Revised from the original post on May 1, 2020
After the great flood, the waters finally receded. While Noah was waiting, he sent out a raven and it flew here and there. Then he sent out a dove, but with no place for it to land, it returned to him. He waited seven days then sent the dove out again. It returned with a freshly picked olive leaf, so Noah knew that the water had gone down. He waited another seven days then sent the dove out again. This time, it didn’t return, so Noah knew the water had dried up, but did he leave the ark? No. He waited.
There was a time when we could probably relate to Noah’s family and their cramped quarters. During Covid, we were told to stay home for months. I wonder if Noah felt the warm and fuzzies for his family during their shut in. Probably not. When we get to chapter nine, we will learn that life in Noah’s family was not quite so perfect, so why then did he wait to leave the ark? He was waiting on God. It seems that Noah actually waited for nearly two more months before God finally told him it was time to come out.
Why did he wait for God’s instruction? Why didn’t he just burst outside the doors of the ark and run and jump on the dry land? His faith must have made him a patient man. Noah was pleasing to God, so Noah must have had a good understanding of Him. His faith helped him to wait for the One who could see all, the One who knew all. Noah’s safety depended on listening for God’s instruction. If only we could find a way to be still long enough to listen for God’s voice, He might just give us the wisdom to make the right choices.
So here we are speaking of right choices in this world of wrong. If there is another pandemic in our future, will we allow the government to shut us in again, or will we leave the safety of our homes? Will we shut down our lives and hunker down in our own ark? What choices will we make next time? Only God can see the big picture. He knows everything. So, don’t wait for the government to tell you what you should do, but waiting on God? That’s always the wise choice. The government is made up of men and women. Fallible men and women. The good, the bad, the ugly. It’s hard to know which is which is witch (pun intended). Don’t expect them to save you. They couldn’t if they wanted to. However, God will never lead you to destruction.
So how do you get answers from God? Start by asking Him questions. Pick up your Bible. Put down your phone. Talk to Him as you curl up to go to sleep. Then just listen. I’m not going to promise you that all answers come right away. They often don’t. They won’t come until God knows you’re ready to hear them. Tonight, I plan on taking my own advice and ask God for a little wisdom. Ask and ye shall receive, right?
But back to the government…it’s still a free country, and you have the right to choose whether or not to burst forth from that ark. Just maybe ask God first.