Note: This is a old post written between Dec. 21, 2016 and I'm guessing March or April, 2017. Not sure why I didn't post at the time, but some days as I walk the paths in the fields here, I remember that I'm not waiting anymore!
I'm thankful that God's Word is alive and speaks to us freshly in our current circumstances. At the same time, it's ancient and unchangeable; and sometimes we need the truths that God has taught us in former circumstances to comfort us in our current ones.
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| Along a Path in the Nearby Fields |
I'm thankful that God's Word is alive and speaks to us freshly in our current circumstances. At the same time, it's ancient and unchangeable; and sometimes we need the truths that God has taught us in former circumstances to comfort us in our current ones.
For me, the life of Noah is such an example. Back in October of 2005, I was reading in Genesis, specifically the life of Noah (funny how we remember details like that, huh?). I really engaged in this familiar childhood story as I endured the endless waiting period that he had to be cooped up in the Ark with his family and all those animals! And it wasn't for 40 days--which God had given him a heads up on how long it would rain, but if you follow the passage, it started raining when he was 600 and they didn't leave the ark till the 27th day of the second month of Noah's 601st year. That's a lot of time that isn't recorded, but I can only imagine the squirmish, "let me out of here" emotions that Noah went through.
I love how Noah acted by sending out the raven and doves. On the one hand, it was smart; and it gave him some insight that the waters were indeed receding; but it doesn't lessen the wait time. And even though Scripture clues us in that even in the silence God hasn't forgotten Noah and sent a wind, it doesn't say that God let Noah know any of this! I can almost feel his agitation as he takes the roof off of the ark in anticipation and readiness to move; yet he waits on God's voice to give him the green light before he takes action.
I love it so much. Have you ever been in a waiting period like this? Where you figuratively sent out some ravens and doves--maybe in the form of prayers or questions--to help you abate your own waters of waiting? Where you see signs of "almost" and seem just on the brink that the wait is over, and you can finally take the "next step" out onto the dry land? That's where I am.
I've had so many people ask questions about my whereabouts and if I have a plane ticket yet. I'm sorry that I have no news to share with you at this time about my "next step," but consider me at the stage where the roof is off of the Ark, so to speak. And like Noah when he finally did get back onto land, I expect and plan that my response will be to (again figuratively) build an altar to the Lord. In that time and space, I can remember that Jesus is my perfect sacrifice who has brought me through the trials and testing.
"The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them His way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep His covenant and obey His demands." Psalm 25:8-10
